SwipeFile: Top Secret Resources

I’ve already done the testing, evaluating, and question-asking, so you don’t have to.

Updated for 2010

Updated for 2010
These Are Solid Tools I Use to run my online and offline business activities.
I‟ve already done the testing, evaluating, and question-asking, so you don‟t have to.
Tested: No Virus. No Malware. Just Free.
Get it now . . .

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Dear Fellow Entrepreneur,

My name is Vernessa Taylor. Thank you for reviewing my personal resources. You will have a headstart in getting your business online because you won’t have to spend so much time figuring out what you need, where to get it, whether or not something works, who you can trust . . . Taking the teeth out of those things alone is worth a look-see.

The less time you spend tracking down the best resources, the faster you can get to work on what really matters to you.

Use this resource as your jumping off point for the systems and services you need for your endeavors.

I‟ve learned this: When a local business owner has a storefront, and he or she is ready to take the first step to put that business online, not knowing where to start can be the setback that makes them step back. Being bombarded with services, tools, web apps, and conflicting information can also be a deal breaker.

Coming from a background of small business consulting and organizational development, I’ve already done the testing, evaluating, and question-asking, so you don‟t have to. (But you can still do your own research!)

You may already be using some of these tools. If so, that is truly commendable, as the majority of our fellows entrepreneurs don’t have a clue. I‟ve included links to several free videos that teach you how to use some of the services available to help you manage your activities.

I‟ve also included a Bonus Section just for eBay sellers. Whether you use eBay for work or for personal reasons, this section will give you a leg up — that is, if you haven’t already discovered the best tools to help you manage your eBay activities.

Why did I choose to give you this particular compilation?

Because of this question:

How do you select the tools, services, and web applications you use to run your online business?

I get that question a lot and answering it over and over was the original inspiration for pulling together this guide with all my recommendations in one place. Hey, I’m not complaining! It’s a great question, but I figured those asking would really appreciate having something tangible they could refer to, covering a wide variety of situations and needs. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to add anecdotal information,sharing my personal experoiences.

I call this guide my Top Secret Personal Swipe File and its your’s just as soon as you click the link and download it. It’s in PDF format so no worries with whether you’re using PC, Mac, Windows, Linux . . .

Use this resource as your jumping off point for the systems and services you need for your endeavors. I hope you find this useful!

Thanks for reading,

Vernessa Taylor

Get it now . . .

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Note to Friends

This is a great resource but it needs an update.
Leave a comment below to let me know you’ve gotten it and I’ll add you to my private Twitter List to let you know when the update is available. Put your Twitter username in your comment. Thanks!

I own (or use) almost everything I recommend to you!

Here’s a question I get often:

How Do You Select The Tools You Use To Run Your Business, Power Your Websites, Get Your Work Done?

The short answer is, I ask a lot of questions. The long answer is, I ask a lot of questions. Answers to questions come from research. So, really the answer is research. Like any good researcher, I’ve spent a great amount of time asking questions, conducting trial runs and tests, evaluating and qualifying results, and writing up the research. The process is a lot like the process I use to troubleshoot or build a computer system. In the same way a system designer puts together a set of tools to get the job done, it‟s necessary to have an arsenal of well-evaluated, well-tested tools to run your online business endeavors.

It takes a little work to get the best tools for the job!

I‟ve spent a lot of time “out on the web” looking for the systems I need to save me time, and ultimately, make me some money. As a small business consultant, the biggest part of my job was helping other business owners find ways to effectively and efficiently run their businesses. Whether it was helping a professional create a sensible, organized filing system, or working with a non-profit’s staff to implement a project management system, I had to know the systems available and help them apply the right solution.

More often than not, I used the same tools and systems in my own practice. To this end, I looked for resources for every administrative and management task imaginable. Then, I would evaluate them, often using trial versions (if it was software or online tools). If I couldn‟t get trials, either I‟d purchase the tool or service myself, evaluate it, and toss it or keep it.

And, yes, I would ask lots of questions of the developers, manufacturers, owners. Finally, if it fit with my own needs, I’d put it to use in my business before recommending it to my clients. It takes a little work to get the best tools for the job! The examples above give you an idea of the time and care I put into selecting the resources I use, and those I recommend to you.

That‟s why I‟m offering you a copy of my Top Secret Personal Swipe File. It covers these main areas . . .

• eBay Sellers: Tools and Services
• Web Hosting for Your Local Business
• Domain Names
• Customer Support & Email Management
• Project Management
• Customer Referral Systems
• Invoicing and Client Billing
• Digital Product Delivery & Protection
• Tracking, Statistics, Analytics
• Browser and Surfing Tools
• Voice-Over-IP Applications

Hey, What Are You Trying to Sell Me?

Let’s be clear, up front. This is a resource guide so it is chock full of links to my personal arsenal of tools, services, web applications, and desktop software that I have used on a regular basis for many years. In many cases, I’ve been through every iteration, every version from the early days. When you come across tools with a price tag, you can rest assured I’ve paid for it and the updates as they became available. Or in the case of a few, it was pay once, get updates for life, at no additional cost.

Affiliate links?

Absolutely! If I thought it was good enough to spend my hard-earned money on, and the developer or creator offers a referral or affiliate program, why wouldn’t I try to recover some of my cost by referring it to someone else who might need or want it? That’s just good business sense. But the real deal here — and the reason I’m offering this compendium of research to you — is this:

• I’ve already done tons of research!
• I can say with confidence what works for which tasks.
• I can give you the benefit of my experience.
• You have my personal recommendations, my personal rolodex, in written form with straight-talk and some anecdotal information.

Whether you just want to quickly find out the top 3 tools to get a particular job done, or you want to know what another business owner like yourself has to say about a particular service, you’ll have a jumping off point.

(And if you’d like to earn a few bucks from this same guide, get in touch. For a small fee, I’ll allow you change the links inside to reflect your own affiliate relationships. How cool is that?)

No Junky Free Stuff

Yes, I like recommending free stuff. But one thing I can assure you of: there are no junky, half-baked, don’t-work-most-of-the-time crap in my Personal Swipe File! Who’s got time to waste on so-called free stuff that isn’t worth the time of day? Not me! And not you! So if I say it’s free, it’s got some other worthwhile attributes:

• It works.
• It works as intended.
• It is currently maintained with loving care by those who created it (or a community who cares about it).
• It adheres to acceptable quality standards.

Just because it’s free doesn’t mean its supposed to be shoddy or inferior.

What kinds of research does the owner of a local offline business want and need?
Undoubtedly, the same kinds of research that were undertaken when selecting the business systems to be used in the offline enterprise. Things like billing customers and collecting payments, managing email, writing documents and keeping them organized, creating profit centers, adding partners, incentivizing and providing customer discounts, and managing customer referrals.

61 Pages of Tried, Tested, True Goodness

• Having a certain type of account to purchase delivery services, insurance, and print labels is a little cheaper than allowing PayPal to purchase insurance for you. (p. 19)
• They recently ran are still running a $1 special where you can try their entire system for a full 30 days. (p. 22)
• I used this for my computer support clients and interfaced it with with another service that tracks client-related project management tasks. (p. 24)
• If you don‟t have a merchant account, you need PayPal, but it does not give you a way to manage customers, do cross-promotions, or upsells. There is a really elegant solution! (p.26)
• This web application solved my problem with managing customer relationships after making sales on eBay. It also enabled me to do billing and order management of my physical digital products. (p. 27)
• I use this every day. I mean it. Most of the screenshots on my websites were captured with it. (p. 31)
• Two of the primary tools I use to help me manage the Twitter phenomenon (p. 37)
• My picks for excellent, quality, supported free and commercial themes for the WordPress blogging platform and Joomla! content management system (p. 49, 50)
• The best places to find attractive Joomla designs for your business, hobby, or organizational website. (p. 52)
• Notable points about marketing with Squidoo and why I’ve now built 7 lenses with more in the works. (p. 53-54)

And much, much more!

The Top Secret Swipe File is presented as an eBook (or digital book) in PDF format which makes it viewable on all browsers. Covers are for illustration purposes only.

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Tested: No Virus. No Malware. Just Free.