Tips to Launch your Business Using Free and Almost Free Stuff…

While brilliant folks throughout time have commented on the constant flux of the world, it REALLY is true this time. The world HAS changed. You no longer need THOUSANDS of dollars to grow an idea into a business. A decent idea, a few cups of Joe, and a few helpful tips can get you on you’ll way to realizing your vision. So put down the excuses and lets get our launch hats on. In this article I am going to examine a few free (or very cheap) tools that can help develop you business. Without further delay, Tips to Launch your Business with Free & Almost Free Stuff… THREE STAGES - Yes, just three stages. Convenient huh? When examining new businesses prospects, it’s best to chop the process into three stages (tastefully adorned with the promised sprinkling of free resources): 1. Idea Generation 2. Research 3. Execution STAGE 1 - IDEA GENERATION – Get your think on Really flush out your initial idea or service. It may change, but at least get what your initial thoughts are down on paper so you have something to work with and so you can start to establish a sense of personal accountability. When Google launched they could have said, “We’re going to create a website”, but instead said “We’re going to organize the world’s information through a search engine based on in-bound web linkage and scalable cloud computing”. Detail makes a difference, so slather on plenty when realizing your vision. So how do you get inspired? READ BLOGS <ul> <li><a href="www.mashable.com">Mashable</a> - Tech news</li> <li><a href="http://techcrunch.com">Techcrunch</a> - More tech news</li> <li><a href="http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/">John Cooks’ Seattle PI Venture Blog</a> - Money and local start-up biz</li> </ul> NETWORK <ul> <li>Online <ul> <li><a href="http://biznik.com">Biznik</a> - For the indie in us all</li> <li><a href="http://linkedin.com">LinkedIn</a> - For mangers and the square folks</li> <li><a href="http://facebook.com">Facebook</a> - For various types and great targeted marekting</li> </ul> </li> <li>Offline <ul> <li>Talk with people you meet on elevators, at restroom lines, at coffee shops - you might be surprised where you can meet your next business partner or customer.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> QUESTION STUFF <ul> <li>Take showers and think about how you can improve the showerhead.</li> <li>Just think about any problems you have during your day and how you might be able to help.</li> </ul> STAGE 2 - MARKET RESEARCH – Find the white space Now it’s time to check out the market. Find out who is working in the sector you plan on exploring. Examine what they are doing well, what “white-space” exists in the market (what is being underserved or where waste exists), and try to fix stuff. Handy free tools to assist in this stage include: RESEARCH TOOLS <ul> <li><a href="http://www.google.com/alerts">Google News Alerts</a> - Set alerts on news keywords to track your competition or hot emerging topics</li> <li><a href="www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=collection_db_list&amp;dbPage=21">Public Library Databases</a></li> <li><a href="http://apple.com/podcasting/">iTunes Podcasts </a>- A wealth of free information. <ul> <li>Check out iTunesU, especially Standford University's Entrepreneur Thought Leader Series</li> </ul> </li> </ul> In addition to secondary research, you might also want to directly survey folks (friends, family, neighbors, past customers if this is an extension of a current product, etc.) SURVEY TOOLS <ul> <li><a href="http://surveymonkey.com">Survey Monkey</a> - set monthly rate of $20</li> <li><a href="http://catalyst.washington.edu/workshops/web_tools/">University of Washington Catalyst Survey Tools</a> - if you're a strudent or have access the cost $0, even cheaper than Survey Monkey</li> </ul> STAGE 3 - DO IT – When you put your money where your mouth is The last in this simplified launch process and also the most gratifying/nerve-racking, execution is when you actually do what you’ve been dreaming/researching and planning. Keep in mind this step is 90% of any business so spend a lot of time here and don’t be afraid to revisit things or shift your approach if things don’t work out at first. Lots of people have great ideas, however the execution is most important so allocate time accordingly and don’t slap yourself on your back until you’ve gotten this part done right. With that said, here some freebies that will hopefully help. CHEAP LEGAL SERVICES <ul> <li><a href="http://legalzoom.com">Legal Zoom </a> - Set rates for preparing standard biz docs</li> </ul> Small Business Banking <ul> <li><a href="www.BankofAmerica.com/SmallBusiness">Bank of America</a> - Free checking, check card</li> <li><a href="https://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/products/accounts/checking/%20">Wells Fargo</a> - Ditto as above</li> </ul> Communications <ul> <li><a href="http://www.freeconferencecall.com/signin.asp?source=goog&amp;kw=Free+Conference+Call&amp;gclid=CNf7hPGxgZICFQLwPAodtQ_e_Q">Free Conference Call</a> - a great way to schedule and connect conference calls free, even has recording available</li> <li><a href="http://www.instantconference.com/">Instant Conference</a> (suggested by Elizabeth Bowman, below)</li> <li><a href="www.gmail.com">Gmail </a>- you know it, you can even plug it in as a free mail exchange while still keeping you email domain @whatever.com</li> <li><a href="http://graphicmail.com">Graphicmail</a> - If you don't have a graphic email newsletter, you should think about it. Graphicmail is one of a bunch that offer a free 4 month promotion</li> </ul> Websites <ul> <li><a href="http://drupal.com">Drupal</a></li> <li><a href="www.wordpress.org">Wordpress </a> - Jasmine (below) noted how valuable Wordpress is for most folks.</li> <li><a href="http://google.com/analytics">Google Analytics</a></li> </ul> So that’s it. Follow these simple steps and use this free stuff and you’re bound to do something that works. If not, at least you didn’t burn through a bunch of cash trying. If you have any questions, shoot me a note. 2008-03-10T01:38:27Z

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tips-to-launch-your-business-using-free-and-almost-free-stuff

2008-03-10T02:09:03Z

Smart tips and handy resources for launching a business on the cheap.

Tips to Launch your Business Using Free and Almost Free Stuff…

2009-02-24T09:43:21Z