I was recently interviewed by PRWeek for a story they ran on February 16 entitled, “Online marketplaces match firms with freelance pros” (subscription required). It made me realize that we are using many different (affordable) tools to help us remain nimble during these “challenging economic times.”

 

PRWeek US

 

As most of you have probably heard me say, “I refuse to participate in the recession.” But at the same time, we have to be cognizant of the reality we’re facing every day as business owners and professionals. Here is a list of some of the tools, services and outlets that have helped us (1) save money, (2) save time & (3) remain competitive:

1.   Elance (http://www.elance.com) – Outsourcing isn’t just for the Fortune 500 anymore.  In fact, Elance is a wonderful place to connect with experienced freelancers, contractors, virtual assistants and even businesses. You can post a job description with details then review and interview your candidates before you make the decision…all online. The best part is you can tap into a global network of professionals, maximize the competitive environment and get high-end/professional services for a very reasonable cost.  We have used Elance in several capacities.

2.   Brads Deals (http://www.bradsdeals.com) – In today’s economy, you can’t afford not to find the very best deals on everything you purchase.  Brads Deals is a site that takes all the work off your plate and lines you up with the very best coupons, deals and values across 1,000+ retailers. Not only is Brads Deals a client, but we have started purchasing our office supplies, PCs, equipment and other business purchases on the site seeing as much as 60-70% savings.

3.   Base camp & High-rise (http://www.37signals.com/) – We were fortunate enough to find 37signals & their web-based software platforms early on in our business. As a result we are now using Base camp which serves as our intranet but is also an amazing project management tool [about $49/month].  The other piece we utilize is called High-rise which serves as our customer relationship management (CRM) database allowing us to track everyone we interact with (media, clients, prospects, partners, etc.) [About $24/month].

4.   RingCentral (http://www.ringcentral.com/) – RingCentral is a virtual phone system for your business. Bottom line, it allows you to act and function as if you’re a large Fortune 500 company for as little as $9.99/month. We have used RingCentral for about 6 months now as our primary phone #. Then they get a virtual directory to ring any one of our employees…the call is then forwarded to your office, then cell, then home (if you dare) and back to your voicemail if you don’t pick up anywhere. Then they send you an email with your voicemails…which allows you to save without clogging your voicemail.

5.   Social Media – How could I put together a Top 5 list about helping businesses without at least mentioning social media :) ? Besides the time investment, we can implement our social media strategy (and do) for no cost to our business.

 

As always, I’m sure there are hundreds of others we could add to the list. What tools is your business using to help during this recession? Please share!