On Internet Business

Top business sites for entrepreneurs

Posted by Michael under Business Growth

Despite the turbulent economic conditions, there’s a range of powerful and inexpensive resources that mean it’s never been easier to set up a new business. From corporate design through to project management and monetisation of brand, there are sites that cost very little and help your business begin well and remain buoyant.  Here are a few of the best and what they have to offer.

We all know that the appearance of our business really counts, especially when we’re trying to establish ourselves in the marketplace. So the right designer can be key to getting your corporate image perfect – 99designs takes the risk out of this process by using your business brief to set up a design contest where designers compete to make the best design for your needs. All you need to do is know what you want designed and how much you’re prepared to pay for it. You choose your favourite and then pay the designer the agreed fee – they send you their completed design and copyright to the original art work. Couldn’t be easier!

Basecamp is a project management system that runs online. It’s collaborative and while it’s mainly recognised by web developers as a key tool, it makes a good project management system for any company.

It’s a very simple system to use and it provides file storage, as well as a way of communicating with your clients who may not be as good at online communication as you are. It’s got a simple interface which is quick to learn your way around and it makes time reporting on a project incredibly simple. The one real downside to Basecamp is that you can’t set specific deadlines other than by including them in the body or text of your task – it would be great if it had a ‘deadline’ tab like the ‘time’ tab, but that aside, it’s an excellent project management tool and prevents new businesses having to invest in setting up their own project management systems at great cost.

Affilitech specialises in affiliate marketing for SMEs – they say that they can help a small business ‘build an army’ of marketing partners who then actively refer that business in the marketplace and get rewarded for doing it. They also design promotions and train your team to work with their systems and technology. This is a great way of generating business for any company that would expect to spend money on traditional media advertising and is a good idea for businesses that: sell goods or services online; run promotions; rely on referrals from others.

This company offers to meet a technology platform needs and to provide ongoing business services and consultation. It has a simple, cost-predictable monthly charging model so that you don’t end up out of pocket without realising it. Venda’s key area is eCommerce –they have a team dedicated to finding simple speedy solutions to eCommerce problems. After implementation of the technology, there is a support and service infrastructure of over 200 people who work with you to boost your return on investment.  There is a guaranteed 24/7 help desk too.

But not all business can be done online – there are some areas where you just have to have real paper, and signatures in real ink: Simply-docs is the answer when you need legal and business document templates – for a fee it provides you with more than 1250 documents plus updates and additions that reflect changes in law or business trading conditions in the UK.

And a place to watch is: buildabrand – an online branding system that allows entrepreneurs, businesses and individuals to create, manage and apply instant and personalised branding to their business. Currently in closed beta testing, this could be a radical tool for business growth and brand promotion.

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