So, everyone wants to be the next Bill Gates, Ford, or Comcast (yes, Comcast, they are doing everything now it seems like, and are the #1 for phone/internet/cable packages). Well, in order to get BIG you need to start SMALL. This doesn’t mean you can’t LOOK BIG ON A SMALL BUDGET. There are a few sure-fire ways to appear like you have it all, when really, you are working from your living room on a laptop while watching re-runs of your favorite T.V. show. Bootstrapping Your Business is about starting with nothing, or next to nothing, and is a mind-state; a mind-state in which you know how to push through the beginning with only your brain, your idea and passion. The following tips were generated as a guideline on how you can appear as if you are a large business, but only be working on a small scale.
- Always have a website! – You never want to be talking to someone and the dreaded question “What is your website?” pops up and you have no answer for them! This will only hurt you. Starting a website can be cheap and you won’t break the bank to do it. For your website design, you can either hire out the work, or you can find a high quality open source template for free use at places like oslayouts.com For hosting, you can check out hostgator.com or www.vpsbyte.com for packages that range from 9.99 per month and up. The money will be well worth it in the long run as it will project you to the whole world, and make your company appear larger than it might really be.
- Always have Business Cards! – Have you ever talked to someone who was promoting their business and they did NOT have a business card? Well, guess what, those are the people who are forgotten as soon as the conversation is over. Business cards are essential for your business no matter how small or large it actually is, and it projects you to your potential clients as a quality company which is what you want and need when being a small business startup.
- 1-800 number’s and PO Boxes – These are two things you might NOT need, as your cellphone and home address is how you are working anyways, but, what if you seen a company flyer with a home address and phone number on it, compared to a company flyer with a 1-800 number and a PO Box address? The one with the 800 number and PO Box would essentially be looked at as more “professional” in the prospective clients eyes, even if they are not. A 1-800 number is as low as $5.00 per month (+0.10 per minute) and you can have it directly ring your cellphone, but people will never know the difference. We’ve used kall8.com for a while now, and they are well worth the price. Also, for PO Boxes, you can obtain one from your local post office for around $20.00-$30.00 for 6 months.
- Custom T-Shirts for business meetings – If you are meeting somewhere where a suit is not required, but you still want to present yourself in a high class manner, head over to cafepress.com or a place similar to this, and get yourself a buttoned/collared shirt made with your logo on the left pocket area. Or, if you are working on a company that works outside the house (landscaping, gardening, painting, ECT.) head over there and get some T-shirts printed up. Nothing stands out like a company with their logo and website link on it! All for the price of a couple starbucks coffee’s.
- Faxing without a Fax Machine – We’ve talked about this website before, but eFax.com is great for someone who is going to be faxing a lot of documents, or will be receiving a lot of faxes and just don’t have the funds to go and buy your own high end fax machine. Faxes are sent to your email as a PDF document for you to read, and you can fax any document to any number directly from your email as well, all while showing a custom phone number that eFax gives you. Great company, and great service without breaking the bank. We all know that the mega-companies are always wanting to “fax you this document” or similar sentences to that one, so why not look the part, and be the part without paying the part?
Have an idea or a tip that could go with this list? Leave us a comment, we’d love to discuss these with you.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Just scoured the web for fax options, so here are the ones I use. I use Packetel – $3/mth for “receiving” unlimited faxing. Then I use FaxItNice which is a prepaid service (I can fax from work, so that’s why I use 2 different services).
Also there is ScaR – which lets you fax from your cell phone.
December 10th, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Hey Cellie,
Thanks for the comment and for the recommendations. I’ll definitely look them over and write on them in the future.
Thanks for reading the site! I hope you enjoy the articles
July 17th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
although i established my own site and its all about sat services, but i found in your article 5 easy tips to make my own small campany also.Thanks..
August 1st, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Get an answering service. That way you won’t be answering your own phone but can be quickly ‘patched through’ to your cell / desk phone.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:01 am
Hey Bill, thanks for the comment. but do you think that an answering service takes some of the “at your service with one call” feeling out of it if people are calling to talk to you directly?
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Great tips! People don’t realize how important some of the small stuff is in appearing professional to potential customers.
January 13th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Completely agree, especially with the website and business card points. It’s rare that you come across a business these days without either, and all the more noticeable because of this.
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May 21st, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Very nice article. This is some great information on get your business big on a small budget. I will be using some of these ideas. Thanks again.
June 19th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I currently use MaxEmail. $34.95 for three months.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
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