gainfully unemployed » small business

30 Ways to Invoice Clients for Freelancers and Small Businesses

chris — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:20:26 +0000

Freelancing is a tough gig. The actual work itself may not be the really hard part and in fact it’s often enjoyable since it’s what you may love to do. But getting out there and finding clients to do the work for may be the really tough part.

It’s also sometimes hard to get your clients to pay you for the work you’ve done. Being organized and running your freelance operation like a real small business will help you make more money, get paid on time, find more work, and generally feel better about yourself and your professional life.

One of the best things you can do for yourself in terms of professionality (and income) is to invoice your clients properly and efficiently.

Small Business Trends has a list of 30 Online Invoice Apps for Small Business that may be helpful to you.

Reasons to Build a Website for Your Small Business

chris — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:56:06 +0000

I really believe that 2010 will be the last year that anyone needs to be told that they should have a website for their small business. I think by 2011, every small business owner will have a website or at least a blog.

It just makes sense to promote your business on the Internet. Return on investment can be huge on the Internet since building a web presence really only takes time and effort. If you have money to invest, then you can get that web presence that much faster.

But seriously, if you have a small business, get a website.

Read this article at OutspokenMedia titled: Why Your Small Business Needs a Website in 2010.

3 Reasons to Start an Online Business

chris — Sat, 16 May 2009 02:46:47 +0000

Many people starting a small business today are gravitating to the internet as their main “front” of doing business. I’m sure this shouldn’t surprise anyone reading this.

There are myriad reasons why starting an online business is a smart move for entrepreneurs. Here are three.

1) Websites are highly scalable. This means that you can get your product, message, or service out to anyone around the world without leaving your desk chair. And thousands of people can look at your ecommerce store or your informational blog or your sales page without leaving theirs.

2) No brick and mortar. You don’t need a physical store to sell your goods. There are associated costs especially if you make your own product, but you don’t have to pay rent for a storefront or pay the heating bill. You can run your business from your living room (or a beach in Jamaica that has wifi.) You don’t even need to pay for an office. More money can go into development of your product, content, or service.

3) The legitimacy of the online marketplace is increasing. Many people shop exclusively online due to the convenience and ease with which you can compare products and prices. ?As shopping online becomes more ingrained in our society, as safety measures increase, and as people become more comfortable buying products on the internet, this kind of business will become even more popular. If you create an online business, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of opportunity to make sales.

I don’t mean to say that starting a successful online venture is easy by any means because it’s not. But never before in history has it been easier to disseminate your message to the people of the world for such little cost.

The real trick is coming up with something interesting to say or an amazing product. Once you have that down, it’s just a matter of showing people. And that’s what the internet is so good at helping entrepreneurs accomplish–in fact, the high speed transfer of information is just what it was created to do.

Read another post about online business myths.

How to Write (Blog) with Authority

chris — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:48:41 +0000

I read a great post at Copyblogger about how to write with authority. I thought it was a good refresher course in how to write in a strong, effective voice in the online medium.

Authoritative writing is dependent on one thing: having authority. This means you need to have some information of value to people–you need to be able to help people. You can’t fake this.

Another thing that is becoming more and more important in business is transparency. People are desperate to find someone who will give them honest, valuable information. It’s called loyalty and it’s not free. It takes effort, passion, and great content to create loyalty.

Once you have a dedicated base of readers or followers who trust you and you honestly care about them, that’s all you need to succeed in online business–or any business for that matter.

The Internet Makes Small Business Dreams Come True

chris — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:19:40 +0000

The ultimate small business is a website run out of your home. Think about it. No brick and mortar (aka additional rent for an office). You can teach yourself how to build a website or hire someone to build one for you relatively cheaply.

Websites are the ultimate small business. You have minimal overhead other than computer and web hosting costs, advertising, education expenses, and whatever you put into your product or content.

Another amazing thing about running an online business is you can run it from your apartment, your cubicle, or a beach in Jamaica (as long as there’s wifi).

The sheer scalability of a website is an exciting thing too. Anyone anywhere (well, perhaps not those in China) can visit your online storefront and make a purchase or learn more about your service or whatever it is you have to offer.

If you are interested in starting a small business in whatever field and you haven’t started a website yet, I would recommend that you look into it. Your competitors are.

The Beach is My Office: Working From Anywhere

chris — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:03:51 +0000

One of the reasons online business appeals to me and thousands of other people across the world is that it gives you the opportunity to earn income from anywhere in the world.

I have this image in my head of a guy sitting on a beach in Jamaica (I don’t know why it’s Jamaica, but for some reason it always is) on a chaise lounge with a Corona and a wifi-connected laptop.

He’s just taken a dip in the cool crystal blue sea and is now sunning himself as he checks his ample Google Adsense earnings or affiliate commissions for the day.

photo credit: ** Maurice **

It’s a dream of many people to become a part of this burgeoning “mobile workforce.” Whether you start an ecommerce site, a blog, a forum or community, it is fairly easy to do so.

You don’t need to know how to code. You don’t need to know much about SEO (although it helps). You don’t even need to know how to write well. Every day it seems like a company starts up based on helping people create small businesses, manage inventory, or market products or services online.

Most people probably won’t end up conducting the bulk of their business from a beach in Negril, Jamaica, like my example above, but what’s stopping you from trying. In the process you may find yourself getting an extra check or two each month.

That’s called disposable income. And last time I checked, that’s a really nice thing to have.