Archive for September, 2009
Could you run your entire business from a smartphone?
Posted by Matt Brown in Insights on September 28, 2009
Last week, I had what every computer user dreads getting – my Hard Drive Crashed. I was watching a movie, and all of the sudden everything just stopped. I tried to reboot, but my computer didn’t even recognize my Hard Drive. I didn’t panic about losing my data though, as my computer is constantly backing up to Time Machine. (note: BACK UP YOUR DATA CONSTANTLY!) However, I was panicked about how I was going to be able to maintain my business. I had to be go anywhere from 2-10 days without my laptop depending on what the complete problem was, and how long until Apple would be able to turn it around.
Lucky for me, I upgraded to the new iPhone 3G S just 2 weeks ago. This phone is the perfect tool to run your business away from the office (or sans computer). Now a days, thanks to the variety of business apps available in the App Store, I can process a credit card payment, manage my accounting, update my inventory, track shipping, and more: all on my iPhone.
My short experience (luckily only 4 days) brought me to think though -
“Could you run your entire business from a smartphone?”
It’s certainly easy to run a business from a laptop from anywhere in the world because so long as you have an internet connection you can operate the same as if you were in the office. But would it work running your business from a mobile device all the time? Read the rest of this entry »
15 Benefits To Working As A Freelancer
Posted by Matt Brown in Freelancing on September 22, 2009
This is the First Post in a Two Post Series looking at the positives and negative of freelancing.
I love freelancing. Yes, I can take the negative’s from freelancing and outweigh them with the good – and I do, on a regular basis. Things will get rough, but life is rough – work through it 
. I only felt that it would be right to share the positive side of freelancing before telling you some of the challenges that are involved with it. Read the rest of this entry »
Important Tax Guidelines For US Freelancers
Posted by Matt Brown in Freelancing on September 21, 2009
Do you have to pay taxes on earnings you make online?
I’ll make this short and sweet: YES! If you are a United States (whether living in the US or around the world), you owe taxes on any money you make, whether it be online, offline, or in some alternate universe that the IRS has an ability to track (and they will be able to track it, I promise).
Contrary to what your best friend’s cousin’s sister-in-law’s friend Bob may have said, money made online isn’t different from money made anywhere else. In fact, the only difference between the money that you make online and the money you might make from a US business is that the online company (ie: Envato) won’t be sending you a 1099 at the end of the year – which means it’s your responsibility to record those earnings.The fact is that you are responsible (by law) to report and pay taxes on all income, regardless of its source.
I think freelancing is a pretty sweet gig. But there are some things about it that are not so sweet. Taxes/finances probably ranks at the top of this list. With no large company taking your hand, asking you to fill out forms, and reminding you when tax season is, freelancers are completely on their own in navigating a very confusing world of rules and paperwork. Read the rest of this entry »
First Impressions: Springloops – Code Collaboration for Web Developers
Posted by Matt Brown in Freelancing, Reviews, Web Design on September 18, 2009
I’m no stranger to project management programs. I’ve been using Basecamp for about a year now, and really enjoy it. They are great for simple projects and setting to-do lists. But what if you have a highly-technical project, such as coding an entire website? Well today I was turned onto a new tool for managing development projects by my friend Mark (Blog | Twitter).
Introducing Springloops
Springloops was designed to allow developers to work together on a programming project by providing an interface displaying real-time changes. With so many web designers working remotely, it’s important for developers to have a central workspace to collaborate on a project. I often work with graphic designers or developers all over the country and can see a real use for this tool. Read the rest of this entry »
Twitter Power: 5 Ways to Use Twitter for Business
Posted by Matt Brown in Insights on September 15, 2009
QUICK SKIM
The micro blogging site Twitter has generated plenty of buzz lately and all from the simple question: “What are you doing now?” Those who use the site have 140 characters or less to respond to the question. Members “follow” other members, and vice-versa, to stay up-to-date on what everyone is doing. Many real estate pros have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon, using it as a way to connect with clients. In the book Twitter Power (Wiley, 2009), authors Joel Comm (@joelcomm) and Ken Burge (@KenBurge) show how individuals and organizations can use it as a marketing tool and how such short “tweets” can even land new business.
FROM THE BOOK: 5 WAYS TO USE TWITTER FOR BUSINESS
When you use Twitter for business reasons, you want to “blend in” and make sure your messages don’t come across as blatant sales pitches, or you could face a backlash from followers, the authors write. Your goal for using Twitter should be to make your business stand out and turn your customers into a community.
“Your Twitter timeline is not a sales page,” Comm and Burge write. “Gripping headlines and hard call-to-actions on Twitter are more likely to drive people away than drive them to buy. Your Tweets need to be subtle. They have to build interest and trust. Only then will your followers feel that doing what you want them to do will be worth their while. ”
Read the rest of this entry »
First Impressions: Outright
Posted by Matt Brown in Freelancing, Reviews on September 14, 2009
Last week I wrote about my review of my new invoicing system, Freshbooks. As a follow up to this review, I tried out a service that integrates directly with Freshbooks – Outright.
Outright is a simple, online bookkeeping service. Key in on the term “simple.” I’ve never seen an easier financial tool for a business owner. That’s not me gushing over this product, but stating the obvious. If you have a bookkeeper now, this tool lets you see daily progress instead of waiting for that in-person meeting at the end of every month or quarter. Read the rest of this entry »
The Importance of Using Website Analytics
Posted by Matt Brown in Insights, Web Design on September 10, 2009
There used to be the simple counter placed at the bottom of web pages that showed the total visitors on a website. Metrics have evolved far from those old bean counters. Now you see metrics, such as bounce rates, unique visitors, and page views, being tossed around. As exciting as it may seem to see numbers coming in for your website, it would be more efficient to use that information to improve the performance of your website. The type of information you collect through the process of analytics can be important, whether you are running a political campaign or a grassroots activist trying to gain support.
Know your audience.
Analytics tools can provide visitor information. You can find out a range of information from a technical aspect, such as what browsers and operating systems people are using, to specifically where in the world they are from. For example, if you are running for a representative or senatorial position in California, it would be good to know if most of your visitors are coming from Pennsylvania. That way, you can make changes to your website that would better target the correct audience—constituents in California. Read the rest of this entry »
First Impressions: Freshbooks
Posted by Matt Brown in Freelancing, Reviews on September 8, 2009
Recently I started evaluating the tools I use in my freelancing business. I was looking around at tools I could use to help streamline processes. I already used 37Signals products for project management and client relations management, but I needed something that could invoice clients, send more professional proposals, and keep track of them all. I’ve heard a lot of buzz about FreshBooks, so I decided to give it a try and see what all the hype was about.
I had previously been using Quickbooks 2009 for Mac to handle all of my accounting needs. Quickbooks is a great Small Business Accounting program, but it is not customizable at all. It’s a decent All-In-One program, but it wasn’t developed for a freelancer’s accounting/financial tracking style, so I decided to move on to Freshbooks.
I read a post a while back about the 10 Bad Habits of Designers over at The Outlaw Design Blog. One of the habits that they discussed in this post was not paying for premium services that weren’t worth the cost. I have found some alternatives to Freshbooks that are free, such as LessAccounting, BlinkSale, SimplyInvoices etc. It’s great that these apps are free, but none of them work as well as Freshbooks. They are all lacking serious features and cant even come close to comparing with Freshbooks. Read the rest of this entry »
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