For many years, the “hip” thing to do (at least for Mac and Linux users), has been to bash Microsoft. Some did it because of security concerns related to Windows. Others did it because of perceived business ethics violations, while others did it… honest because. The argument I heard most often was that Microsoft just wanted to procure into your life. They didn’t care how they did it, they didn’t care what the cost was… they just wanted to rule every section of your computing life.
I don’t hear the same arguments against Google. I’m not saying people should be saying the same thing, but it occurred to me the other day that Google may unbiased be on the verge of getting exactly what Microsoft has always wanted.
Total World Domination.
Well, maybe that’s going a little too far, but maybe not as far out as you’d think at first.
For instance I’m not writing this article in a desktop text editor or word processor, or even in the Associated Content web form. In fact, I’m not writing this in a desktop application at all. I’m writing it in my web browser, via Google’s online Docs & Spreadsheets application. Docs & Spreadsheets, which is now part of Google Apps (a commercial product available for businesses), which is still available for free, albeit without the phone support offered corporate buyers.
Google Docs & Spreadsheets offers, as the name might suggest, both word processing and spreadsheet options. The word processing looks very mighty like what you might expect to see when filling out an online form. You have some formatting ability, such as courageous, italics and underline. You can also settle from a variety of fonts, such as Ariel, Ariel Unlit, Ariel Narrow, Book Antiqua, Century Gothic, Funny Sans MS, Courier New, Garamond, Georgia, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS and Verdana. For those of you keeping track at home, those are the infamous Microsoft Core Fonts. Originally made available for free download from Microsoft’s website (in order to help standardize web fonts and give web developers a set of fonts “everyone” would have), the fonts are no longer freely available from Microsoft. However, the original license made them free as long as clear requirements were met (original license left intact and the form of the archive not changed), and it is my assumption that those requirements have been met by Google. The importance of those fonts being available to Google users, of course, is not to be exaggerated. There is no guarantee that some computer users (especially Linux users), actually have those fonts, or that Microsoft or Mac users have standard Linux fonts. Because Google Docs & Spreadsheets has them available, a user can be very confident his document will arrive at its destination looking relatively terminate to what he intended.
In addition to basic formatting and fonts, Google Docs & Spreadsheets also offers the ability to change a font’s color, as well as highlight certain words or phrases in a variety of colors. HTML links can be added, and lists (both numbered and unnumbered) are also supported. Text can be left, right or full justified, as well as centered, and users are also offered a wealth of style options to choose from. Since this is a web application, it may be accessed anywhere one has a computer and Internet connection. This leads to the feature of having multiple people edit the document. Simply click the “Collaborate” tab, and whomever is sent an invitation will have access to this document. This feature makes sharing documents a snap. There is no need to send the document to a collaborator, simply send the invitation and the document itself is waiting there, always available.
And what will I do when I’m done with the document? I can print it, of course. I can email it (a process made incredibly easy if using Gmail, of course!), I can get a preview of it as if it was a web page, or I can save the document. Google Docs offers pleasant options, such as rich text, Microsoft Word, html (zipped), OpenOffice, or PDF. Any of these translations is nearly flawless, and fast. Simply choose your format and within seconds the document is waiting for you on your desktop, or wherever your browser is set to download.
Is Google Docs ready to take on Microsoft Word in a head-to-head battle? Not even close. Microsoft Word offers so many more options for formatting, graphics, tables, mail merge, etc, etc, etc…. but Google Docs is good. Very good.
Now, we were talking about Total World Domination, and obviously that can’t just be done with an online word processor and spreadsheet application, no matter how good they are. So, what else does Google have to offer? Well, a lot.
I mentioned Gmail, and what a great program that is! Introduced on April Fool’s Day of 2004, Gmail was initially view to be a hoax, as it offered, according to the press release, a burly Gigabyte of storage, an amount unheard of at the time! Yahoo Mail, the leading free email provider at the time (and still to this day), offered storage measured in a handful or two of Megabytes, and suddenly Google was offering many times as mighty. It almost seemed too good to be true.
Since the initial inaugurate, Google has continued to add features (and storage space), go Gmail. Users of Gmail now have 2.8 Gigabytes of storage for their email, and the number increases by the second. In addition, Gmail can now be used to check a user’s POP mail accounts, and to send via that account. For users with multiple accounts, this is a marvelous feature. Simply enter in the contact information for that anecdote, and Google presents your unusual messages to you all in the same inbox. Then when replying, hit “reply” like normal, and Google replies using the address the email was originally sent to.
Along with Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Gmail, Google is constantly adding programs that integrate and expand their offerings. Google Talk is such a program, as is Google Calendar.
Google Talk is, as the name would suggest, a chat client, like AIM or MSN or Yahoo. Instead of using one of those proprietary, commercial programs, however, Google went another direction, and settled on the open-source Jabbar client. Sure, the official Google Talk client doesn’t ever say it’s a Jabber client, but it is. And since there is currently no official client available for Mac or Linux users, for those not wanting to chat via the web browser extension, any client that supports the Jabber protocol (such as Fire or Adium for Mac, or Gaim or Kopete for Linux), will do the trick.
Google Calendar is Google’s scheduling and calendar application. Events can be entered into the calendar, alarms and notifications set, and the calendar published or made available for others to view. It can import other, pre-existing calendars, including those in iCal’s or Outlook’s format. This makes sharing schedules and events with other users incredibly easy. As far as integration, when a Gmail user receives an email that has a Google Calendar event in it, the program is aware of that, and offers to add the event to the person’s calendar.
One other web program from Google that has me excited is Google Reader. One of my favorite things to do at the computer is check up on all the news feeds and blogs I read. There are probably 20-25 of them I’m keeping up on at any one time, and if I had to visit each site individually, it would take far too long to be worth the inconvenience. Enter RSS and Atom feeds, and Google Reader. RSS and Atom are two formats of syndicating content in a super, efficient manner, and Google Reader is Google’s answer to standalone programs. Google Reader is actually my RSS/Atom reader of choice at the moment, because it’s on whatever computer I’m on, so I don’t need to pains about reading a feed in one place, then having it show up as new at another. When I go attend and forth from my place to visit relatives, my blog list is always current. Google Reader has a slightly different viewing format from other readers, but after getting used to the differences between it and a customary 3-pane email client style, I’ve found Google Reader to easily be my favorite way to read blogs.
A new Google App that maybe isn’t quite ready for prime time is Google Page Creator. Yep, if you want to make a web page, Google has an application for that as well, and web based to boot! From professional to hip, Google Page Creator has quite a few templates and layouts to allow a user to quickly throw together a web page. Is the page exactly the same as what could be done with a professional program? Not even close. But for someone who just has a few things to say, or a few pictures to share, Google Page Creator is easy and swiftly.
Finally, there’s why we first learned of Google: search engine. According to SearchEngineWatch.com, Google held nearly a 50 percent marketshare in February of 2007, leading second-place Yahoo by nearly 20 percentage points. And in looking at the two websites, it’s no wonder, at least to this viewer, exactly why Google is so much more approved. It isn’t necessarily that Google gets better results. It isn’t that it’s faster. In fact, the results I got for a few standard searches were nearly identical, and took about the same amount of time to come up. No, Google is so popular because its website is so clean and easy to expend.
Just go to Google and look how simple that pages looks. Then go to Yahoo and see if you can notice the same simplicity. Of course you can’t. Yahoo is a astronomical kaleidoscope of colors and pictures and ads, and… it’s just busy. Google, on the other hand, gives the user the impression of a single purpose. There is only one thing to look at when you go to Google. Only one input box, and the cursor is already there, fair waiting for you to input your search term.
In addition, Google search is everywhere. If you use Safari or Camino or Firefox or Konqueror or Opera, chances are really good that there’s a search bar right beside the address bar in your web browser. Sure, most browsers give you the option to change that, but if I had to guess, I’d say the percentage of people who actually do that is… very very tiny. It reminds me of a myth told by Richard Feynman, a world-famous scientist. He was working at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project. In his words, Los Alamos, in spite of the secrecy surrounding the project, was so isolated it was boring. He took to playing pranks on his fellow scientists. He realized that of these scientists, all of them in dire need of secrecy, roughly a quarter never changed the factory settings on their office safes, so Feynman started opening the safes and leaving them notes, as if Los Alamos had a spy.
The point is this: if scientists working on the development of the atomic bomb couldn’t be bothered to change the factory settings of their safes, how likely are computer users to change the search engine settings on their browser? Not very!
And that, in a nutshell, could be what is keeping Google from Total World Domination. Right now, Microsoft is too entrenched. It is on our computers, in our minds, and just a fraction of our everyday lives. At the moment, there is little to push anyone to abandon Microsoft. But think about what is available… right now… from Google. You can write your documents, piece appointments, make web pages, email friends, chat online, search for information, and read news. All with web applications from Google. Is it only a matter of time before these free applications start making headway against Microsoft’s current near-monopoly. Only time will tell.
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Filed under Microsoft Small Business Phone by on Oct 27th, 2010. 
Many people are considering doing freelance work or starting a small, home-based business due to the global economic recession. Unemployment figures are frightening and the job market is worse than many of us can remember. Web design is a great home-based business for anyone who is Internet savvy and detail oriented.
I have worked as a freelance web designer for more than a decade. During the past ten years I have learned a lot about what works well and what does not work well in the web design business. I have also watched the industry mature and change as it continues to evolve. I actually wrote an entire e-book about starting a web design business recently and decided to offer some of the highlights here on Associated Content free of charge!
The Internet has been referred to as a “disruptive technology” because it has completely transformed so many aspects of novel life. The Internet has permeated nearly every aspect of society, from communication to banking, and from research to shopping. The Internet has changed our world to the extent that most people have a hard time remembering life before the Internet.
This amazing technology, coupled with the universal mainstream adoption of the technology, has created exciting new business opportunities for entrepreneurs. Many people now earn a respectable living working from the comfort of their home in jobs or businesses that were not even invented a few short years ago. The web design business is one of these new opportunities afforded by the popularity of the Internet.
As Internet usage continues to rise around the globe companies are constantly in need of web design services. Some stout companies hire web designers and web programmers to bear their websites. However, most smaller businesses (and a lot of larger business too) contract out their web form and web yell needs to freelance web designers or web design businesses.
Web design businesses are also ideally suited to starting and operating on a limited budget. (This assumes, of course, that anyone interested in starting a web design business probably already owns a computer and has access to the Internet!) Web design businesses can be easily run from a spare room at home, a corner in the living room, or even from a local Internet cafe. In more than a decade as a web designer I have never had a client want to visit my “office.” Most communications are handled via e-mail or phone with an occasional visit to their office.
Web Design as a Business
The web design business could not have been imagined by most people just a few short years ago. I graduated from high school in 1988 and knew only one person besides my who owned a “home computer.” Computers were only beginning to be implemented in business and the World Wide Web would not yet be invented for another year.
The Internet is clearly the driving force tedious the popularity of personal computers. E-mail, Internet chat, music and video downloads, instant access to reference material, and e-commerce all owe their very existence to the Internet. Without the Internet none of these favorite services would be possible.
The web design industry has changed considerably over the ten years that I have been involved in the industry. In the 1990s most websites were simple, static sites with content that rarely changed. Most sites today are dynamic and powered by database applications. Novel sites may be updated daily or even many times each day. The type of sites customers need may be somewhat different now than in the past; however, businesses still need websites designed, set up, and maintained. The market may evolve and change but businesses will always need someone to take care of their website.
Legal Considerations
Starting any businesses involves many decisions, including some suitable considerations like which business structure to use. A comprehensive discussion of the legal considerations for a web design business is beyond the scope of this article but many resources are available to provide more information about this topic (both online and in print).
Some early decisions you will need to make include:
- should you rent office state or work from your home
- which business structure should you use (sole proprietor, corporation, etc.)
- what type of record keeping system will you use for your business
- how will you prepare your tax filings
- does your state/local government require you to obtain a business license
I have always operated my web design business from a home office. Commercial rent and utilities are far too expensive for me to believe office space a viable option. I would not personally contemplate rented office region for my web perform business unless I had employees or a customer base that expected to be able to come to my office frequently.
Business structure decisions may be limited by the state in which you live. For instance, the state that I currently live in offers no business structure other than sole proprietor to individuals. I would need to take on a partner in order to file any type of corporate business application. Which business structure you should choose for you web design business will depend on your circumstances and what options your home state provides. Contact the Secretary of Position in your home state (or visit their website) for more information on business structures available in your home state.
Small business bookkeeping is actually not as scary as it may sound. Modern accounting programs like QuickBooks by Intuit make it fairly easy to maintain right records and generate very useful business financial reports. Accurate financial records are key to business success. It is impossible to know if you are making money or losing money without salubrious records and reports. Accurate business records will also help you (or your accountant) claim all business deductions you are entitled to when you file your tax returns. Your accountant will be able to help you configure your accounting software to best meet the needs of your web form business.
Two things in life are certain, as the saying goes, and they are death and taxes. Business tax returns can become quite complex and it almost always advisable to have an accountant prepare your returns. The general rule is that your accountant will probably save you far more than you pay in accounting and tax preparation fees. There are many deductions available to limited business owners but the rules are often confusing. To make matters worse, many tax rules change from year to year. Accountants regularly take classes to stay on top of the complex tax regulations and are likely to save you money in the long accelerate.
Business licenses are required by many cities and villages. This is something that seems to be less current in rural areas than in urban areas. Ideally your city or town clerk’s office should have this information on their website. However, many governments have been ludicrously slow to migrate information to the Web so you may have to call or visit to inquire about business licenses. Usually a business license simply requires filling out a short application and paying a filing fee (usually renewable annually). My experience has been that this is usually just one more tax and the application is more informational than anything. It is wise to pay the fee if your municipality requires a business license rather than risk being fined or penalized for not obtaining the license.
Marketing and Advertising
Every business needs to engage in marketing and advertising in order to attract customers. The simplest and most effective form of marketing and advertising is “word of mouth” referrals from tickled customers. Unfortunately, this requires customers to work so new businesses will need to jumpstart their advertising in order to find customers.
Networking or social marketing is a powerful (and low-cost) method of marketing your business. Networking seeks to leverage existing relationships to find customers. The reality is that most people, including business owners and decision makers, would rather do business with someone they know than with someone they do not know. This is not to say that a business owner will not do business with a stranger, but they often prefer to do business with a friend or acquaintance. You can use this to your advantage by respectfully asking for people’s business (not by spamming them though).
Direct marketing to local businesses can also be an effective way of jumpstarting your web design business. Many businesses prefer to deal with local service providers rather than an unknown service provider in a distant city. Chilly calling, or visiting target businesses “door to door” can be a great way to meet local business owners and find new customers. This come does require the ability to handle rejection from prospective customers but can still pay off with current customers.
Obviously you will want to use the Internet in your business marketing. Make positive your business website is top notch and conveys a professional image to potential customers. Remember that you only have one chance to make that first impression! Your website should be search engine optimized for the markets you want to target. For instance, you may want to dedicate a page on your site to your location and any local businesses you work with already. This will improve your search engine ranking for web design services in your town or city. Similarly, you may want to create several pages dealing with any market niche you service. This will improve your search ranking for web design services in your market niche.
Printing is easy to forget about in the Internet age. However, you will at least want to have quality business cards printed. You will have many opportunities to hand out business cards to potential customers. Business cards should have your name, your company name (if you exercise one), enough information about your business to describe what services you offer, and your contact information (website address, e-mail address, and phone). You may also determine to have multi-part contract forms printed or other promotional literature like brochures or flyers.
Formal advertising options include advertising in your local newspaper, pay-per-click advertising, banner advertising, jabber mail campaigns, and advertising in trade association publications. Which options are best will depend on the type of customers you are seeking to attract and your advertising budget. It is always a good idea to test marketing campaigns with some type of quantifiable data so that you can measure performance. Blind marketing campaigns can rob your entire advertising budget without producing any meaningful return on your investment.
Hosting Providers and Domain Registrars
Domain registrations and web hosting are two closely related income streams that should not be ignored. Some business customers may already have a domain name registered and hosting region up. These customers may only want you to provide design or deny. However, many businesses, particularly those without an existing web presence, may want you to handle the domain name registration and hosting as well. Domain name are typically renewed annually and hosting is typically renewed monthly (though either can be renewed for longer periods). The steady income from either source is small by itself but speedy adds up with multiple accounts. Domain registrations also provide residual income each month that requires little or no work on your fraction.
Some hosting providers offer reseller accounts that will allow you to easily set up customer hosting accounts and even integrate billing. This is quite convenient since billing for hosting can get complicated once you originate amassing more than a few hosting accounts.
There are many excellent hosting providers to choose from and more than a few not-so-good hosting providers. Carefully check out any hosting provider in advance and research what their customers are already saying about them. Cheap is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to web hosting. Remember, your customer will not be calling the hosting provider when their site is down – they will be calling you. Save yourself these headaches and choose an affordable, quality hosting provider.
Web Design Business Software
Starting a web design business will require some computer software. The software you use will depend on several factors though, including budget, personal preferences, and the type and level of services you intend to offer. You will need a text editor, graphic software, and an office suite at a minimum. The good news is that these programs are all available for free by using launch source software! Many web designers also like to use a visual XHTML editor. These are much harder to find in non-commercial versions.
Text editors are arguably the most versatile piece of software you will install on your computer. In fact, probably the only software I exhaust as much as a text editor is a web browser. Microsoft’s Notepad is fairly anemic and few programmers hold a favorable opinion of the application. I currently use the Scite SC1 editor freely available from Scintilla. I have also customary Notepad++ in the past. Any decent text editor will work but most modern versions now include syntax highlighting (very useful for hand coding or editing), line numbering, word count, and other handy features.
Text editors are significant for any type of scripting (PHP, JavaScript, etc.). Many web designers, me included, still prefer to design and edit sites in a text editor rather than risking problems with a visual HTML editor altering code. Even if you like to use a visual editor to develop sites it is sometimes convenient to spend a text editor when you just need to check something hastily.
Visual HTML editors have advanced considerably over the past decade and most web designers now use some type of visual editor to speed site development. Many options are available when choosing a visual HTML editor.
Popular visual HTML editors include Microsoft Visual Web Developer, CoffeeCup HTML Editor, and Adobe Dreamweaver. These applications are all commercially available in varying packages with varying costs. Microsoft Web Developer and CoffeeCup HTML Editor both do offer a limited-feature free version. KompoZer is an interesting (and free) project currently under development. KompoZer is a continuation of the abandoned Nvu project.
Each visual HTML editor has its’ own dwelling of features, advantages and complications. Which editor is best (or if any of them are best) will be determined by your preferences, budget, and the type of development you are doing.
Graphic design software is most frequently used for photo and image editing. However, decent graphic design software is also valuable for making banners, logos, and site graphics. Graphic do software can be quite costly depending on which program you prefer.
Popular graphics programs include Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, and Gimp. Adobe Photoshop is the industry standard but carries a price tag that might well be more than your monthly rent payment. Corel Paint Shop Pro (formerly Jasc Paint Shop Pro) is a great program with a much more affordable price. Gimp is a great, launch source program that is available for free. Gimp will likely take care of everything you need to do unless you are a proper graphic designer (in which case you probably already have Photoshop).
An office suite of software is essential for routine business tasks, like proposals, invoicing, presentations, and basic bookkeeping with spreadsheets. Regardless of how high-tech the web design business may be there are still occasions when you will need to type a letter, prepare a presentation or use a spreadsheet. Customers are also likely to send you documents periodically.
Some approved office suites include Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, and Corel WordPerfect. Microsoft Office is, of course, the industry standard. Office and WordPerfect both carry outrageously high price tags though. OpenOffice.org is the up and coming office suite of choice for many people. OpenOffice.org does everything you would expect an office suite to do – but without the impress. OpenOffice.org is freely available and will import and export Microsoft Office documents.
The Importance of Standards Compliance
Standards compliance is something of a buzz word these days but is something that every web designer should be striving to achieve and maintain. Developing websites that comply with current, International standards is best practice and should always be the goal. Sites that are standards compliant should work satisfactorily in every modern web browser – whether desktop, laptop, or handheld.
Many web designers have a bad attitude about web standards. They seem to think that standards are implemented to hold them back or to gain their job difficult. Nothing could be further from the truth! Web standards allow web designers to design one station that works in all browsers rather than designing multiple copies of each site to accommodate several different browsers. As the Internet continues to grow and more mobile devices are used to access the Internet it becomes even more notable to design to industry standards. It is simply impossible to predict what devices will be used to access a website. Standards-compliant sites are the only way to guarantee that everyone can access a site.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium that develops internationally-accepted, open-source standards for the Internet. W3C’s stated mission is “to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web.” These may seem like loft goals, yet they are absolutely essential. Anyone who has been developing websites for any length of time remembers all too well the nightmare of browsers without standards compliance. (For that matter, anyone that attempts to earn sites that work the same in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as in every other browser still knows why standards are important!)
Expanding Your Web Design Business With Freelancers
Sooner or later you will be faced with a project that is beyond the scope of your abilities and skills. This leaves you with the option of turning down the project (and the revenue) or finding a freelancer to complete the portion of the project you cannot handle. Subcontracting out parts of a project to freelancers has become increasingly common as websites have become more complicated.
Working with a freelancer (or several) allows you to expand your business and offer more services to your customers. However, this also complicates your business because you are now relying on other people to complete critical projects. Remember to build extra time into each project if you understanding to subcontract out part of the work. This will provide you with a time buffer if you bustle into problems with the work.
It is also a respectable idea to have a customer sign off on the project scope before you contract with a freelancer. Only after you are clear on what the customer needs should you ask a freelancer to bid on the project.
Deciding to hire a freelancer is one thing. Finding the right freelancer is something else altogether! How do you go about finding a freelancer for your web design project?
Fortunately, there are companies that specialize in connecting freelancers with people who need befriend with a project. Elance, Guru, and RentACoder all help to match up freelancers with available projects. The competitive nature of the bidding at these sites usually means the employer is able to have the work done at a genuine price. (Some people criticize these sites because the prices may tend to be too obscene because of the competition.)
Another option for finding freelancers is through a local university of technical college. Any school with an IT program is likely to have plenty of skilled students who could use some extra work. It may be best to work through the administration and ask for recommendations to be sure that your prospective freelancer has adequate skills and training.
Finally, you can always advertise on Craiglist, Monster, Dice or in your local help wanted directory for a freelance programmer or designer. You should probably have a basic freelance agreement ready if you plan to contract with someone directly. A standard freelance agreement will usually include a non-disclosure clause, payment terms, and will also specify whether the freelancer is an employee or an independent contractor. Presumably you will be looking for an independent contractor if the work is only periodic and per diem. An Internet search should turn up plenty of standard agreement templates you can adapt to your own needs. (You can, of course, have your attorney handle this for you – for a fee.)
It is also a good idea to review the IRS definition of an independent contractor versus an employee. Classifying a freelancer as an independent contractor is perfectly legal, but the IRS prefers that everyone is treated as an employee and thus subject to income tax withholding. Make sure you understand the distinction before you hire a freelancer. This is not an narrate, of course, when using freelance sites.
Conclusion
Starting a web design business is an exciting venture. Best of all, web design businesses are well suited to starting as a shoestring business. While some things may be easier if you do have some cash to invest in the business, it is quite possible to start your web design business with no investment provided you already have a computer and Internet access.
Starting any business requires a lot of hard work. Web design is no exception. However, if you enjoy computers and the Internet, web execute can also be a fun business. This business also allows you to earn residual income from every hosting customer as hosting and domain name registrations continue to bring in revenue long after the new sale.
There are plenty of decisions to make as you consider launching your web earn business. The gracious news is that in many cases you can open simple or cheap and upgrade software or services as you earn some money. Expensive software licensing fees can be avoided because all of the software you need for your web construct business is freely available as start source software; expensive business fees can be avoided by operating as a sole proprietor rather than incorporating. You can always change to more expensive options at a later date if it seems more salubrious to your business.
The future for the web design industry looks strong. The Internet continues to grow at a rapid pace and new technologies like mobile Internet are only beginning to see mainstream adoption. Many businesses still have not caught on to the usefulness and importance of a web presence. These businesses will require web design services in the foreseeable future if they hope to remain competitive in a global economy. The rapidly changing nature of the Internet also guarantees that businesses that already have a web presence will need their sites updated and overhauled. This trend also assures web design companies of residual work for many years to reach.
This book was designed to provide you with a solid overview of the web design industry. We have discussed the highlights of starting a web design business without becoming too burdened with small details. We have also looked at ways to open a web earn business on a shoestring budget. This business model does not require thousands of dollars in capital to be successful. So what are you waiting for? Win out there and score started with your shoestring web design business!
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Filed under Microsoft Small Business Phone by on Oct 14th, 2010.
“Remove a Blackberry Pearl!” the ads say. “Only $0.00!*” Then you look at the fine print, and it says “*With two-year contract and activation fees. Some restrictions apply.” A part of you wonders if this is a grand idea or not. But you go ahead and pay for the thing, and sign up for a data plan with unlimited texting. Pretty soon, though, you find yourself going help to the store for accessories and picking up software online, from that essential book reader you had to have to the game that was on sale for only $5. And before you know it, you’ve gone through half of next month’s budget. What gives?
The fact is, buying and owning a smartphone – whether a Palm Centro, Blackberry Pearl, or even an Apple iPhone – can cost you a lot of money. And that crude, low price is only the launch of the expenses. Here’s what a smartphone really costs, and what sort of expenses you should be planning for.
Phone service charges
This one is obvious, so let’s list it right off the bat. How much will it cost you per month to use that smartphone? What plans are available, and how many minutes and text messages do they give? Do you think you can stay in those limits? Using the Internet or text messaging over the limits they set can be insanely expensive … as if an AT&T data plan didn’t cost enough to launch with.
Look for loopholes that can save you money. Can you get a family notion and share expenses? (And would you be okay with sharing the minutes? ) Can you forego a data thought, especially on smartphones like the Palm Centro that have extremely poor web browsing? What times of the day and week do they allow you to talk without using your minutes? Read the fine print, and sight for opportunities.
At the same time, also look for traps. You already know going over your limits can cost you a fortune, but did you know that you have to pay an activation fee to set up a unusual cellphone story with most carriers? Or that if you cancel your contract before it is up, you have to pay an enormous cancellation fee? Watch out for these things, so you won’t be surprised by them. Or they may come back and bite you.
Extra hardware and accessories
Think about what you’re going to be doing with your phone. Can you really fair toss it into your purse? Not all smartphones have flip covers; you might need something to keep that screen from getting scratched, especially if it’s a touchscreen. And what if the keys get torn off? A protective case is a given, because you don’t want your phone to get damaged.
Are you going to make hands-free calls with it? Listen to MP3s? Use it while it’s on the other side of the office? You may need a Bluetooth headset. But does your phone support Bluetooth wireless? If not, can you exhaust a normal one? I didn’t want a wireless headset, but my Palm Centro does not have a normal headphone jack, so I had to buy a special set of earphones and microphone from Palm’s online store.
Another thing to consider is memory. How distinguished on-board memory does your new smartphone have? Do you know how many pictures and MP3s that translates to? What are you going to do when you find out you can only put half of an album on it? Find out before you buy your phone if you need to buy a memory card for it, and look up what kinds of cards it supports. The MicroSD cards used by most smartphones can be very expensive, and yet you might need one to do almost anything with your phone.
Extra software and games
Do you know what kind of apps will be installed on your phone when you buy it? Are they programs that you can live with, or will you need to buy extras? The iPhone App Store lists thousands of programs, but even the Palm Centro or Blackberry Pearl can have numerous third-party apps installed on them. And depending on what you’re planning on doing with your phone, you may find one or more of these apps essential.
My musty Palm Pilot had a book reader program, but in order to read books on my smartphone I had to pick up a special book reader for almost $20. In order to transfer files between my computer and my phone’s memory card, I needed to buy another program for almost $10. And if it hadn’t come with Pocket Tunes and Documents to Go preinstalled, I would have had to seize even more software just to listen to music and edit Microsoft Office documents.
Games are another expense. Are you going to want to play any games? If so, which ones, and where can you get them? Usually you can download a demo of any particular game, to try it before you buy it. But it’s easy to download as many of these as you want, and pretty soon you’re being asked to pay money to maintain playing each game. If you want to play games on your smartphone, determine which ones you really want, that you could stare yourself playing regularly. Then only buy those. And if a unusual game comes out, try the demo and then wait a month or so to make sure that you really want it.
The Upshot
Buying a smartphone isn’t a one-time expense. It involves recurring charges, that you’ll have to keep paying the cell company. It also involves hidden expenses, including draconian overage fees that might make you gasp at your bill.
On top of that, smartphones rarely reach with everything that you need to use them. You might find yourself paying more for “extra” hardware and software than you paid to “buy” the smartphone in the first place!
If you know about these expenses and anticipate them, you won’t be caught off-guard and find yourself digging into your food budget. And if you opinion out your spending and save up until you can afford a smartphone, you may find that you have money left over for real extras … like games! Good luck, and have fun with your smartphone!
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Filed under Microsoft Small Business Phone by on Oct 1st, 2010.
Our society is driven by technological advancements and innovations. Technological progress has made our lives comfortable, thereby enriching the quality of our lifestyle. Though our life has become grand more hectic and strenuous yet due to the productivity of technology it does not have a bearing on us. Why? Since we utilise the inventions of technology in an optimal plan. For instance if due to time constraints we are unable to consume time with our near and dear ones then mobile phones rise to the occasion. Mobile phones help us in keeping in touch with people who matter the most to us. So we can strengthen our relationships and get new ones just with a call. Calling those special people, and keeping in touch with them from time to time is credited to mobile phones.
Mobile Phones have enhanced our social circle and revolutionised the world of communications. These communication tools have become a rage in the present society. Not just calling devices, they are also multi-functional and have gone on to become style statement. People know you from the phone which you use. If your phone is simple and less stylish, people recognize you to be a simpleton or someone who is not really techno savvy, however if your mobile phone is ultra stylish, sleek and trendy looking then you are likely to be labelled as a techno valid and a fashion conscious individual. So, beware because the phone which you own will reveal a lot about your personality, likings as well dislikings. Before buying a handset it is better that the individual is familiar of every feature and functionality of the phone. Since, the market is flooded with the latest models, it is sometimes a challenging task to select the best from the rest. However, going by the neighbour’s or friends choice can be detrimental. Just intuitively, buy the handset and see how user-friendly it is. Coming over to the latest mobile phones then the O2 XDA Stellar, is an exclusive handset which is packaged with advanced features. O2 XDA Stellar is a pocket sized phone which meets the demand of every user. The phone has a TFT touchscreen which is made colourful with 65K colours.
Having slim dimensions of 112 x 59 x 19 mm enables the user to carry it anywhere on earth. Coming to its connectivity features, the blueprint offers superfast internet connectivity through GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WLAN, Bluetooth, Infrared and USB. The internet facility will enable the user to stay connected with the world and keep himself updated with the latest events and innovations. Data can be transferred to secondary handsets with the Bluetooth technology and it can be speedily transferred to other compatible devices. The phone is gifted with superb camera capabilities which construct brilliant images and clear shots.
These captured moments can be treasured forever or shared with conclude ones. The camera is supported with an autofocus which is responsible for producing photos with great clarity. The video captures special events and precious moments with a professional enact. The mobile phone has a microSD (TransFlash) card slot and its phonebook has ample space to add contact numbers and the photo of the caller. The call history of the phone can also be viewed. The phone is integrated with a powerful media player which is a complete musical entertainer.
Moreover, the phone is empowered with other important features such as video telephony, Windows Mobile 6 which supports Microsoft Direct Push E-mail, Business card reader, A-GPS function, Pocket Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Instruct memo. Being a office-oriented phone the user has the liberty to create, save and edit Microsoft Office Documents with great ease. The user can also access PIM information and synchronise their handset with a laptop. This stylish and compact phone also has a slide out keyboard and its coloured touchscreen can be tilted up to get an ideal reading angle. It is also enriched with a CoPilot Live 7 satellite navigation. Thus, exalted with such striking attributes the O2 Xda Stellar is a complete phone with unique functionalities
Know more about o2 xda orbit and free laptop with mobile phones with best deals, visit our online mobile shop.
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Filed under Microsoft Small Business Phone by on Sep 23rd, 2010.
- Small business accounting
- Small business financial analysis importance
- Differentiating a bookkeeper or accountant with a CPA
So you have started a small business, congratulations! Your business has the notable components: a product or service, a marketing plan and a way to picture your business transactions. Many new business owners have one or two of the three things listed above figured out but not all three. You may be wondering which is the most important which you will receive the retort from any successful business owner, “All of them!” In this article, we are going to focus on the importance of bookkeeping and small business finances.
Bookkeeping in small business is not usually complex, but for some reason, the concept of recording transactions and reviewing financial statements strikes fear in new business owners. The truth of the matter is that as a business owner, you should be focused on selling the product or service you are offering, networking and making the contacts every successful business does. Accounting is a detail-oriented and sometimes time consuming process to ensure all company transactions are being recorded properly. For this, hiring a bookkeeper or accountant is usually advised for small businesses that can afford the usual hundred dollars a month most small business accountants will charge for basic services.
If you are considering completing many or all of the accounting functions yourself, then there are solutions available in the computer software variety to help you. Quickbooks provided by Intuit Software is an extremely popular software choice for small businesses. If the $200.00 investment is too much, the company offers a slimmed down free version similar to the Microsoft Office Accounting Express software. Both packages will enable the business to connect to their tax accountant by transmitting financial data over the internet, complete typical bookkeeping transactions, allow for payroll to be completed which requires a separate service for a nominal charge, and both will allow financial reports to be prepared which at the very least consists of a balance sheet and an income statement. If using either accounting package for limited businesses, the scalability of the software is top-notch allowing the company to grow quite a bit before the accounting software package would need to be upgraded.
Completing a few courses in accounting would not be a awful idea. Courses are offered online through many colleges and can be completed at your leisure. Core accounting concepts learned in these courses will provide a better understanding in analyzing financial statements and the flow of full cycle accounting. Ultimately, as a business owner, your primary concern is going to be the information given on the income statement or profit and loss report. How much money is your business making? What service areas or products are selling more, and how much variable and fixed costs are affecting the bottom line? These are the questions that will be answered by reviewing the financial statements.
Making sure that proper accounting and bookkeeping practices are completed is very necessary for any business owner. The information provided by the describe keeping allows a business owner to know how the business is doing at any given moment. Also, most lending institutions are going to require financial statements to review to assist them in making the decision of whether the business is going to be able to pay attend a loan.
Hiring an accountant is also recommended even if you determine to complete most of the accounting functions yourself. Accountants are specially trained professionals who deal with the data that runs the company. They are able to provide valuable insight into how to streamline your business, and how to specifically record typical entries to make sure that the information conforms to the generally accepted accounting procedures. The question that you might be asking is, “CPA or non-CPA? ” The truth about certified public accountants is that the only dissimilarity between many CPA’s and a normal non-CPA accountant is that CPA’s are able to certify financial documents for public companies. Most companies do not require certified financial documents for the IRS, especially small businesses which are not publicly traded.
The main reason why many business owners settle to hire a CPA in place of a bookkeeping professional or accountant is because there is a misconception that the CPA is guaranteed to know more about accounting. It is true that the CPA certification has become more strict requiring an accountant to have the equivalent of a masters degree before certification is awarded. If your CPA is younger, then chances are, they will be more educated in current accounting and business concepts. On the other hand, if your CPA is much older, chances are that the education may only be a four-year degree which may not even be in accounting. I know a couple CPA’s personally that have marketing degrees. The plus side is that older accountants will have more industry experience, but you will pay for that experience.
However the decision goes for handling the accounting needs for your company, make sure that the records are done accurately. The worst thing for a small business owner is to believe that his or her business is doing well only to find out that the bookkeeping records are incomplete showing hidden debt or inflated sales figures.
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Filed under Microsoft Small Business Phone by on Sep 13th, 2010.