As an entrepreneur with limited funding, I have found some really great tools that I use on a daily or weekly basis. The best thing about them, other than that they work really well for me and my workspace, is that they are FREE – no cost me!
1. Logmein.com
Logmein.com
This fabulous software allows me to log on to my workstation from anywhere with internet access. I needed something that didn’t require me downloading my emails to different locations and then trying to synchronize so I didn’t have to read, delete or answer emails more than once! Using Logmein accesses my PC remotely, similar to PC Anywhere, but with super response time, clear graphics and very rare log offs. I use an Acer notebook when I am out and about and it runs so fast because I don’t have to put any software on it. I just connect to my PC via Logmein and have access to everything.
I also load this software on certain computers for clients that I do work for. I can access the information I need without having to drive over to their offices. It’s especially useful when working with big databases. They sometimes don’t copy too well and then copying back to the original location can be a nightmare.
Simply put, Logmein allows me the freedom to log me in to whatever remote PC I need access to. I LOVE it and highly recommend it to all and sundry! Click here to get the software download and instructions for use.
2. Cute PDF Writer
Although I really want to get Adobe Pro, I just cannot afford it right now. So between Adobe reader and cute PDF writer I have managed to do very well without it. This software is loaded like a printer so when I need to convert a document to PDF, I “print” it to this PDF writer – cute, huh? Click here to go the site and look for the Cute PDF Writer, Free Download.
3. Mozy.com
Mozy.com
I have a small backup drive attached to my main PC but I have way more data than it can store for me. My IT guy told me about Mozy which is a remote back up
service. They offer a certain amount of storage for free, and as you grow you can increase for a pretty nominal fee. It works well for me and I have been able to access my data when I want. Click here to access this nifty tool.
4. Pandora.com
As anyone that does any kind of writing or data entry can tell you, sometimes music just helps the process along! Pandora is different to your regular radio stations in that it learns from your music choices and tries to find you more like that. You can save your music types as radio stations so that your favorite music genres are ready when you log on. You can connect your Twitter and Facebook accounts if you like and share a song or an entire radio station. There are some ads, but not enough (yet!) to tick me off. Of course, I could pay the whopping $36 for a year of ad-free music, but that would spoil the fact that I can use it for free! Click here to access Pandora.
So, there you have it. 4 Free Tools for Entrepreneurs. Would love to hear about it if you try them and like them, or not! If you have any of your own faves that you’d like to share, please comment.
I think it’s fair to say that social media has become a very big part of my life. There’s so much to learn and so many ways to learn that I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one out there struggling to keep up! But, as I tweet and communicate on Facebook, I realize that, indeed, I am NOT alone! So as I sift through the ton of information at my fingertips, let me share what I’ve learned and perhaps it will assist some other poor souls.
Telesminars & Webinars
There are so many tools out there to help us do things better, faster and more efficiently. How do we figure out which ones are best for us as individuals? I know I’ve slogged my way through umpteen different kinds to get to the ones that I like to use; the ones that do save me time and help me accomplish what I need to do. This particular post is about my safari through the world of Teleseminars and Webinars and what I’ve gleaned from my travels!
About the middle of last year (2009) I began to subscribe to webinars and teleseminars on various social media topics hosted by a variety of folks that had caught my interest by tweeting, facebooking or via referrals from others in my network. To say that I sat through a few of them is a mild understatement! I sat through many and wondered “why on EARTH am I doing this?”, and then went and sat through many more and got such a TON of great information that I subscribed to even more! At some point I realized that I was in constant search of the “newest, greatest” thing and wasn’t actually doing anything with the last “newest, greatest” thing I had learned.
Teleseminars are used to provide information, training, or promote or sell products to group of people interested in a particular topic. They are similar to traditional seminars, in content and purpose, but they are given over a teleconference or bridgeline rather than at a specific location. (Wikipedia)
So I managed to wean myself off of doing too many of them and I have gone back through the information that I have learned; highlighted what I wanted to implement; implemented what I had highlighted and then gone through it again to find the nuggets that I had missed the first time around. Actually, if I admit it, I didn’t understand a lot of what I had heard and seen the first time around and it simply washed over me. Months later, when I had finally twigged to a lot of what social media was about and how people were using it successfully, I went back and found the good stuff that I could actually now use!
Web conferencing is used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet. This can be either a downloaded application on each of the attendees’ computers or a web-based application where the attendees access the meeting by clicking on a link distributed by e-mail (meeting invitation) to enter the conference.
A webinar is a neologism to describe a specific type of web conference. It is typically one-way,[1] from the speaker to the audience with limited audience interaction, such as in a webcast. (Wikipedia)
In hindsight, I can safely say that it was probably a good thing that I went a little overboard with these tools. Not only because I learned how to participate and connect with others while on the webinar or teleseminaar, but because I also learned how to listen a lot better than I used to. Being Irish, I do tend more toward talking than listening and not really subcrsibing to the idea that we have two ears and one mouth for a very good reason!
Multi-tasking
Taking part in a really good webinar or teleseminar also made me stop trying to multitask ALL the time. To really get some great information from these tools you MUST pay attention and take copious notes. Not to do so is a waste of your time and money, if you had to pay to participate. There are some fabulous webinars and teleseminars that do not cost anything to participate. Do yourself a favor and find some good ones and sign up.
Recommendations
There are many to choose from. Pick those that supplement your specialty and try ta few of them. I have discovered that the Tuesday afternoon webinars with ISMA (International Social Media Association) are a fantastic source for not only social media topics but also general business practices. I have it down to a science now where I call in while car-pooling to the high school. This way I get to listen in and learn a LOT!
IS customer service dead?
Customer service is a hot topic with me and I’m always looking for new input and insights in to what others think makes customers tick – and more importantly, buy and come back to buy repeatedly. Check out Sydney Barrows website for teleseminars on creating great customer experiences.
For hot tips and tricks for internet marketing and social media I find Matt Bacak‘s webinars packed full of good stuff.
So, get online and find out who is offering teleseminars and webinars that cover your niche. Participate, learn and implement and you too can make the most of these tools.
I’m interested to hear about any websites or folks offering teleseminars and webinars that you have tried and recommend. Leave comments below with a link to the resource so that others may also benefit.
In case you haven’t heard about the newest, most fun way to connect with people, here’s an update on Poken – a replacement for your conventional business card. Use a Poken usb to create your unique identity complete with contact details, social media network information and use it to connect with others and exchange your contact details.
Say goodbye to business cards and say hello to Poken!
Visit ClubPoken.com for a complete overview of all the new Pokens in the collection and make sure you get your own!
Here’s a quick video introduction to Poken, presented by Stephane Doutriaux – creator of the Poken.
Just got introduced to this nifty little thing – my Poken. It contains my social media contact info – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – with many more to choose from.
When I meet someone else with a Poken, we high four with their little hands and our information is automatically exchanged – how neat is that?!
You can collect up to 64 contacts at one time. Then just plug it into any computer with a USB port and internet access. The Poken will open a browser asking you to sign in to your account, it recognizes that you have pokened and uploads the social media info on the folks you just met. You can choose to save the data as vCards as well!
This little thing is HUGE in Asia already and growing wildly in Europe. I just HAD to get some!
Pokening in Miami Beach
Started “pokening” this week at the Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism in Miami Beach.
Stay tuned for more updates on this nifty thing.
Email me now at jackie@jtewing.com if you want more immediate info or just plain want your own Poken!
