Apr
16
The Solopreneur Life “Friday Bits” Column
It’s the end of the week, and I have several nice bits of information left over that I want to share with you.
Wisdom
I came across this statement on Tuesday: “The difference between a scam and real advice: the scam will be about how to ‘make’ money, while the real advice will be how to ‘earn’ money.”
Daylite and Elements Software
Is anybody using Daylite or Elements CRM (customer relationship management) software? I have not used either and both appear to be robust programs.
But I wonder: are they overkill for a solo business? Please share your opinions in the comments.
PR Resource
I strongly encourage you to check out a great source for public relations how-to information: PRInYourPajamas.com (awesome name!). Elena Verlee, a certified professional coach for entrepreneurs and an extremely accomplished PR pro, publishes the Web site.
It’s packed with do-it-yourself resources, including a very practical five-part e-mail series that’s free if you sign up for her mailing list. The first lesson in the series demonstrates how to painlessly create a media pitch. I did the lesson, and it’s outstanding.
I will be reviewing Elena’s e-book, “PR For Newbies: A Step-By-Step Guide to Getting Publicity” in an upcoming post.
It’s In the Shoebox
A very good friend of mine sent me a heads-up about a service that I REALLY should try, because I’m dreadful at keeping my receipts organized. The service is called Shoeboxed, and this is how it works: you send receipts and business cards to Shoeboxed in pre-paid envelopes, by e-mail, or with your mobile phone, and they scan, data-enter, and organize them for you. Ooo, I love the sound of that.
The “Lite” version of the service (less than 50 documents per month) is $9.95 per month. Does anybody use Shoeboxed? Please share your opinions in the comments.
Get the Carfax
I was in the market for a car recently, one that I would use partly for business. I ended up buying a new car (a Kia Sorento—love it!), but initially I was looking at used vehicles. I did my shopping online, narrowed the field down to about five cars, and I did something I’d never done before: I ordered Carfax.com reports on all of them ($44.99 for five reports).
I was extremely impressed with the level of detail that Carfax provides—where and when the car was purchased, when it was serviced, repairs and more. I found it interesting that three of my cars had been used exclusively as rental cars. Another car on my list was available for about $1,000 under the book price, and the Carfax report revealed why: the car had been totaled and classified as salvage.
The Carfax reports made me feel good about some cars, not so good about others. Either way, the info was very valuable, and I will definitely use Carfax in the future.
Solopreneur’s Digest
In case you missed any of my posts from this week, here’s a digest:
• I Fired a Client Last Week
• “What’s the Best Thing You Did When Starting Your Solo Business?”
• Should Your Solo Become a Duet?
• SocialTriggers.com Applies Psychology to Online Sales
• Solopreneur Resource: Office Space for Small Businesses
• How to Find the Right Accountant for Your Solo Business
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