Opening and maintaining an office is one of the costliest moves a new business can make. The obvious expense is the monthly rent, but the financial investment in running an office far exceeds the rent. At minimum, you will need desks and chairs. Most companies eventually want filing cabinets and a water cooler (plus scheduled delivery.) Of course, an office also needs its own Internet connection.
All these costs (and others) are why veteran entrepreneurs advise going without an office early on. That said, some businesses objectively need things like a professional mailing address, a business phone system and meeting areas.
Virtual Receptionists & Assistants
Entrepreneurs frequently take on loaded schedules and find themselves shoving repetitive tasks to the back burner. Traditionally, the solution has been hiring assistants whose sole jobs are to complete those tasks. However, it is actually not necessary for an assistant to physically work beside you in an office. A growing number of entrepreneurs are hiring virtual assistants instead.
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Small Business, Startup | Tagged Small Business, technology, tips, virtual office, virtual phone number | 1 Comment
One of the great things about the entrepreneur community is the willingness and desire to share the trials and tribulations of starting and running a business. From blogs to forums to podcasts and books, there is a lot of really great knowledge out there. We have chosen eight of the best entrepreneur forums where you can ask questions, find info and share your own stories.
Entrepreneur.com – Industry Groups
Link: http://econnect.entrepreneur.com/browse_groups.php
What is it: Entrepreneur.com is a great forum that covers everything around entrepreneurship and business. The forums are even split up into industry-based groups ranging from construction professionals, to franchising, to sales and marketing to online business and young entrepreneurs.
Why you should read it: Entrepreneur.com has long been a trusted source for all kinds of entrepreneurs. Their forum allows people to connect with each other and share their experiences and knowledge. The starting a business section has nearly 1000 discussion topics!
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Small Business, Startup, Tips & Tricks | Tagged Entrepreneurship, Small Business, tips, tricks | 3 Comments
We’ll admit it – the typical Twitter page is more likely to hinder startup success than it is to help. A Google search for “Twitter distraction” generates over 1.8 million results, including in-depth blog posts on how to prevent Twitter from breaking your focus. So we’ll understand if Twitter isn’t currently a big part of your work day. However, it would be unwise for startup founders to unplug completely from Twitter.
In fact, the Twitter accounts of other startups and founders are often treasure troves of relevant, applicable insight. After all, these are folks who have overcome the obstacles you are facing and achieved the goals you are striving for. Who better to learn from? The key to using Twitter productively, of course, is avoiding idle banter and following only those offering concrete, actionable advice. To that end, Grasshopper scoured Twitter for fourteen accounts that any startup founder would be well-served to follow.
Startup Digest
Startup Digest is an awesome service for getting plugged in with your local startup community. They also have a great Twitter list setup for you to follow to filter out some of the noise in your Twitter stream once in awhile and focus on valuable insights from leading tech blogs and entrepreneurs.
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Small Business, Startup | Tagged Entrepreneurship, Small Business, social media, Startup, tips, tricks | 19 Comments
As the tournament kicks off today, productivity all over the U.S decreases dramatically. For those of us in the office, we can check the scores online and for some brave souls, watch the games at CBS.com with the “Boss Button“.
But what about those who are in meetings or on sales calls and can’t check the score? What if your favorite team is on?
With Grasshopper, this tragedy can be averted.
While you may not be able to break out your phone to check the score, you can take an important call right?
Using your Grasshopper 800 or local number, set up a March Madness extension.
Tell your friends who are not working to call this extension to provide updates (lets just stick with half-time, 12 minutes and final).
When the call is forwarded to your cell phone, you will see the extension and immediately know it’s a score update.
Politely excuse yourself, stating you have to take this call, and immediately get the latest news.
Colleagues and associates will be none the wiser and you won’t have to worry about missing any news about your team.
*We don’t actually recommend doing this but hey, do what you have to do.
Posted in Tips & Tricks | Tagged call forwarding, tips, virtual number, virtual phone number | Leave a comment
A virtual office can be a great asset for any small business. It can be even more valuable for an entrepreneur just getting a company up and running. With the economy still struggling and everyone working hard to stay profitable, cost-cutting measures are vital.
A virtual office can help you save money in three main areas:
Office Space
Whether you are working from home, a coffee shop or a co-working space, you can save a lot of money by not leasing out a big office. There are no costs for rent, furniture, office equipment or utilities.
Even more importantly, if you find yourself traveling a lot, working from home or just not spending much time in the office, you are not locked into a lease.
Travel Expenses
With the average cost of commuting ranging from $110-$648 a month, traveling to work can be expensive. You have gas, maintenance and for some, tolls.
Posted in Entrepreneurship, Small Business | Tagged tips, virtual office, virtual phone system | 3 Comments ← Older posts Newer posts →
