When you spend the majority of your time sat in front of a computer building your home business then anything that can save you time isn't just useful - it shows on your bottom line. If you can save time on doing the day to day tasks you'll have more time concentrating on the revenue creating tasks - such as marketing and customer support.
My 5 favourite home business tools are listed below but there is one thing you really need - something I came across by accident after setting up a new computer in my office - a second screen. Trust me, with two open screens my productivity shot through the roof, less 'tab snapping' and great for having a 'resource' screen and a 'working' screen. Try it.
OK, so here they are, if you have any suggestions or if you've found a better option let me know in the comments.
1. Lastpass - I love this one. All those passwords you've got written down can now be kept in one place. Unlike microsoft explorers password storer this one holds your passwords on a secure server that you access with just one master password. After logging in it fills all those user/pass forms in for you automatically. It even stores profiles that you can use to fill in your address and credit card numbers. This one alone must save me an hour a week - highly recommended.
2. Ping - If you're still adding the updates to your blog on all the social network sites by hand then you need this badly. Ping.fm takes your blogs feed (or any feed) and then passes it on to over 30 different social sites making sure you get the best exposure. It takes a while to set up the accounts but once done you will literally save days in the month.
3. only2clicks - I'm sure this probably says a lot about my personality type but I really hate bookmarks. A dropdown where you have to search for the site you need or the group that it's in - hurts my eyes and my brain. The solution for me was only2clicks - a bookmarking site that stores your saved pages as screenshots under relevant tabs. It just produces a much nicer experience for me and I find I can navigate a great deal faster.
4. AWeber - Now I love my members, I really do, but if I had to write an email to every one and welcome them to the site I would get nothing else done. And then there's the explanation emails, the new feature email, the new jobs email - the list goes on. Thankfully, there's Aweber. This is the most robust autoresponder service on the web. As soon as a new lead signs up on your website for free info or a call back or to receive a newsletter AWeber starts delivering the info they need. It drip feeds information to your potential customers hopefully convincing them of your service or professionalism until they decide to bite and give you money. It stops your leads from going cold and turns them into eager buyers without you having to constantly keep them up-to-date manually.
5. RSS - We've all heard of RSS and you may have clicked that link a few times to see what happens. But it seems that few people in the non-webby business world have actually grasped the power of it. It is the perfect method to consume focused information. If you have a company in the widget industry you can go to every top website or blog in that industry and grab their RSS. Those RSS's are then put into your favourite reader and you have the most comprehensive and cutting edge newspaper in the world. Every day when you boot up the computer you will have all the latest news from your business world at your finger tips.
For the nuts and bolts of RSS take a look at the video below and don't forget to sign up to mine.
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Those are my 5 favourites, if you have any further suggestions then please comment so we can share them.
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No matter what business you are in it always helps to be seen as an expert. If you were calling someone to fix a drain or sell your house you would approach the person you saw as most credible and reputable in that area of expertise. To become an expert takes hard work and experience. It can involve study or the honing of practical skills. It demands high standards of work. But after all this effort will you be perceived as an expert? If you feel you've earned the mantle of expert but are not recognized as one, here are nine ways to start establishing your reputation.
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