Cheap Revolution

CustomInk - The Easiest and Most Affordable Way to Get Swag for your Startup

Need shirts for your team?  Tote bags or battery packs to use as giveaways for your next booth? 

Let me introduce you to CustomInk - my favorite way to order gear and accessories for my current startup. I've used Zazzle and CafePress in the past. CustomInk takes the cake for 3 reasons: 

• The user interface is intuitive and easy to use - no more clunky designs and buttons, leaving me unsure of what to do next. 
• It's affordable - Our last order was for 18 shirts that cost less than $10 apiece, including shipping.  
• The quality is great - Unlike past experiences, I've watched these repeatedly and haven't seen a thread come undone or have it ripped easily. 
• The customer service is superb - Very few companies feature their phone number up front and center on their website anymore. Not only is it on their navigation but they also have a chat now feature that allows quick access to a team member to answer any questions. 
• The turn-around is faster - Just 7 days passed from the time we placed the order to the time they arrived, including the weekend!

I highly recommend checking out this cheap resource for yourself. Are there other customized product companies you've had good experiences with? Let us know in the comments. 

Alternatives to Quickbooks

You’re starting a business or working on the operations side of your startup need an accounting solution. What’s out there besides the all-popular Quickbooks and perhaps more affordable? I recently wondered the same thing and went on a hunt to explore alternatives. I searched high and low on Google, Quora, startup forums, and asked fellow entrepreneurs. Most of the services below offer a free trial, mobile app, invoice templates, and payroll services – so what separates them exactly? Here’s a list that includes comparisons of unique features, pricing, and more. I hope you find it useful. 

Xero – Possibly the easiest service to transition away from Quickbooks, Xero offers a similar feel with comparable products and services that a business owner may have become accustomed to with QuickBooks. It even provides the ability to convert your current Quickbooks data right into Xero dashboards (it is one of the few services on this list to offer such a feature). Xero is currently offering a 30-day free trial and a special 6-month introductory offer which equates to about thirty percent off. Their basic plan starts at $9 a month with limited features, but spend an extra $10 per month ($30 total) and get unlimited users, bills, invoices, and bank transactions to reconcile. They offer standard accounting reports with advanced financial reports available such as foreign currency gains and losses (if you’re doing business abroad). Some of Xero's features also include employee time tracking for payroll, the ability to snap pictures of your receipts for better expense tracking and automatic late payment reminders which are similar to FreshBooks (see below for more details). Xero seems to have the largest 3rd-party app integration of the list, including all of the big players, such as Stripe, Square, and Paypal. Finally, their videos, guides, webinars, and online courses are extensive to provide an accessible and easy way to get acquainted with their platform. The site boasts they have nearly nine hundred thousand users. 

Freshbooks – Frustrated with managing invoices and expense tracking? Freshbooks allows you to see when customers open invoices, send automatic late payment reminders, and even lets you send paper invoices without having to visit the post office. Freshbooks offers a free service with limited features but the next level starts at $20/month and allows you to manage up to 25 clients. This basic plan only includes access to 1 user but purchase one of the higher tiered plans and receive access for up to 5 users. Some of their cool features include employee time tracking for payroll and the ability to snap pictures of your receipts for better expense tracking. Freshbooks also has a large number of 3rd-party apps integrated with their service to help you better manage your business and finances.

LessAccounting – If you're a small business owner with no employees or a freelancer that is trying to better manage your revenue, LessAccounting may be a viable answer. LessAccounting, which considers itself the underdog compared to some of the companies on this list, provides standard core accounting reports with invoice templates available. One of the few services on this list to offer a money-back guarantee, their ‘freelancer’ plan starts at $20/monthly and is for companies with less than $70k in annual revenue. Once you break the $70k annual revenue threshold, you can upgrade your plan and won’t have to do so again until you break $500k in annual revenue. The freelancer plan only includes 10 invoices/month but every plan priced higher includes unlimited monthly invoices.  The drawbacks include no mobile app or payroll capabilities, if that’s important to you. However, if you fall into the category of early entrepreneur discussed earlier, they provide a free e-book to help guide you through the burden of interpreting your financial reports. 

Saasu – Small businesses on the rise, which expect to scale and want their accounting services to do so with them, might consider looking into Saasu. Their monthly pricing is a little different than the traditional pay model since its based on expected annual transactions…so what do ‘transactions’ entail? According to their site, transactions include: a sale, purchase, bank transfer, payment, or journal entry. Their starter plan begins at $15/monthly and includes all of their core features, up to 1,000 annual transactions, and 3 bank feeds. If you become an overnight success, you can switch to their ‘X-Large’ plan which includes up to 100k annual transactions and 20 bank feeds. If that’s still not enough, you can reach out about their ‘Enterprise’ plan which is priced on application. Some of their best features include detailed sales reports, a KPI report builder, and cash flow forecasting that is simple and easy to digest.

Wave – Free accounting reports, invoices, and receipt scanning – Wave doesn’t charge you unless you want specific features. For instance, payroll service will cost your business $9/month or the ability to accept credit cards costs 2.9% + $0.30 per invoice. Wave also has a portfolio of mobile apps for each of its products and a network of professional accountants to help you find one if necessary. Similar to LessAccounting, it could be a perfect fit for a freelancer, contractor, or small business owner with few employees. However, unlike LessAccounting, it offers payroll services and a mobile app. I’ve read reviews and heard friends dream of a better user workflow but remember….it’s free! Depending on your business needs and budget, it may provide the best value which should be something to keep in mind.

Kashoo – Another affordable option for freelancers and entrepreneurs alike, Kashoo provides standard accounting reports, bank reconciliation, and payroll services at a low cost. One of the few services on this list to offer a money-back guarantee and the ability to directly convert data from Quickbooks, it also prides itself on providing a secure platform that backs-up data daily. Service plans are broken down by solo ($5/month or $50/year) and business ($20/month or $200/year) which evidently include a 20% discount if you plan to use them long-term. Unfortunately, they have a limited number of 3rd-party app integrations so be sure to check their selection if you’re hoping to pair them with a different service that you currently use.

Shoeboxed – Unlike all of the other services on this list, Shoeboxed doesn’t provide may accounting features such as financial reports, invoicing, or payroll. However, it’s one of the ultimate services for tracking expenses, regardless of business size. Use it for free with limited features, or purchase the starter plan for $10/month and track 50 docs monthly with 1 user account. The next tiered plan costs $30/month but lets you track 150 docs monthly with 2 user accounts and includes Quickbooks integration. It has cool features such as mileage tracking that uses your phone’s GPS to help track your travel expenses or “magic envelopes” that lets you send Shoeboxed paper receipts to have them logged digitally. It has a highly reviewed mobile app and provides a money-back guarantee. Despite not offering necessary accounting features, it has 3rd-party app integration with Xero and Wave which allows Shoeboxed to provide a nice assist for your financial reporting. 

Are you an entrepreneur or do you manage a small business? Which services do you use? 

Launching an online course or product: Platforms and Process

This summer I set out to launch an course for people seeking to enter the medical marijuana business in PA.   I wanted people to pay for the course online and planeed to deliver much of the content through recorded course modules.    I had never launched an online course before so I had some research to do.  In this post, I'll share what I learned. 

Besides the actual course content and interaction, there are three key components to consider in launching an online course:

1) The Online Course Studio

2) The Online Course Back Office

3) The Online Course Marketing 

The Studio - online platforms for recording the course

The first key decision involved recording the course material.   I planned on having multiple faculty members collaborating from different locations, needed the ability to visually share a presentation and (ideally) the video of the speakers.   Having had too many negative experiences with online technology failing, reliability was important to me.   I looked at a number of platforms including Adobe Connect, WebinarJam and GotoWebinar.    

WebinarJam has an excellent price point and a wide range of sophisticated features.   However, as a frequent user of Google Hangouts, I couldn't get past the fact that WebinarJam is built on top of the Google Hangouts technology.    I've found this technology to be fine for informal meetings and conversations with other team members, but way too unreliable to use with clients or serious business meetings.   Maybe this will change over time, but I wanted my classes to go off without a hitch and couldn't take the risk.  It's also possible that WebinarJam is built on a more reliable version of hangouts then I use casually.   This platform is definitely worth a close look!

AdobeConnect was almost my first choice.  This industrial grade platform has a range of capabilities that go beyond a webinar platform.   I can manage course catalogs, track learner progress, develop tests and more.   At the end of my evaluation, I decided it was overkill and overly expensive for my fledgling training company.   

The final choice came down to GotoWebinar.   I had experience with its little sister, GotoMeeting and found it to be reliable and effective.   It has a simple interface but it has never failed me.   (Once I forgot to push the "record" button and had to re-do a 1 hour course as a result - but I can't blame GotoWebinar for that).   GotoWebinar allows me to easily set up a new event, send out invites to panelists, record and publish the resulting recording.    Publishing your recorded module can be done through a managed interface which captures names and emails for future contact when someone accesses your platform.   I also like that GotoWebinar allows you to optionally record video of the participants in addition to whatever is showing up on your desktop.   For me, that was usually a PowerPoint presentation.   I found that having dual monitors made management a lot easier - although a single monitor can be used to pull this off. 

 

GotoWebinar allows you to capture live video with presentation

 

 

 

Setting up a new webinar is simple

 

 

Managing the polls, questions and live interaction are all manageable.  The user interface for the questions and polls could be improved, but we've used them with success in our online course modules.

 

Once live - you can chat with panelists ahead of time, get the audio/video right - and THEN broadcast

I refer to GotoWebinar as my virtual studio.   Using the cameras built into our laptops and a headset (or even built in microphones), you can record and integrate anyone with a laptop (or smart phone) and internet connection.   As I told many of our faculty, it works better if we are in different rooms, each on our separate "studio" portal.   Once you put multiple people in the same room, you need different kinds of audio and camera equipment.   GotoWebinar keeps it simple and straightforward to produce an online course.  

Of course, these aren't the only games in town.  Webex from Cisco, Google Hangouts and Join.Me  represent other online platforms for collaboration and recording.

The Online Course Backoffice

My next question is how to process the back-end?   I considered using Paypal directly from my Website and I looked at an eCommerce platform called e-Junkie (promotion shown in the button below).

After evaluating the options, I settled on a platform called GumRoad.   This platform makes it easy to add modules to your course... 

 

Adding course components is drag and drop - with different publishing options 

In addition, GumRoad processes credit card payments.   For $10/month, the processing fee is 3.5% plus $0.30 per transaction.   Students are given a platform that they can log into and access their course material.   One feature I'd like to see is a more in-depth review of which modules were viewed by each student.   At this point, I only get which modules were viewed.   

GumRoad makes it easy to create new versions of your product, something I'm experimenting with as I re-purpose many of my modules to an "online only" version of the product.    They also have an affiliate process which allows me to share links with special discounts that can be credited to partners willing to promote my class. 

GumRoad support is currently through email only.  This can be a little frustrating if you want to talk to a person.  At this time, that's all they offer - but my experience is that they do respond in a timely manner.   GumRoad fit the need I had for managing my courses and collecting revenue.

The Online Course Marketing

Your Website should have a strong landing page for your course offering.  A well-designed landing page can mean the difference between converting the sale or losing the sale.  

I found that using live information sessions through GotoWebinar, promoted in advance through social media and email marketing, were the most effective conversion tools.   Since I recorded the information sessions, I could embed the video into my Website's landing page.   This powerful combination worked well to drive course sales.

 

A strong landing page that gives detail and a flavor of the instructors can help convert customers

For interested parties, I use the Divi Wordpress Theme and it makes editing and manipulation of pages like this easy to do.

Conclusion

The combination of GotoWebinar, GumRoad and a strong Wordpress theme are used to create an online course offering.   The beauty of this platform is that it is easy to use, accessible to all Internet users and can be easily reconfigured and re-purposed to future needs. 

Do you have some online course tips you'd like to share?   Please leave a comment for us!

3 Web Tools for Creating Quick Websites Without Needing to Code that are not WordPress

WordPress powers almost twenty percent of sites online today. But it's not the only solution out there, particularly for those who don't want to rely on a developer to customize its templates or nervous about performing the periodic updates that may break their site. Below are 3 alternatives you may not have heard of that are tailored for non-technical people who want to quickly get a site up and running - whether it's for personal or business use. 

1. Strikingly specializes in helping non-techies build mobile-optimized websites quickly. With options to add an ecommerce store or blogging page, the site boosts you can be up and running in 30 minutes. The service includes built-in analytics, 24/7 email or live support and a 14-day free trial. You can opt for a free plan (though you'd be stuck with a strikingly.com domain) or pay $12 or $20 a month depending on the features (there's also the option to save with an annual plan). For those that want are looking to build a personal site, Strikingly created this beautiful step-by-step guide. 

2. Need to build your own custom social network? An alternative to BuddyPress (built on WordPress) is SocialEngine. It powers thousands of online communities and doesn't require hosting or coding skills either. Add features found on Pinterest, Reddit, Twitter or Facebook by using it as a stand-alone service or easily integrate it with your existing site. The site has a nice Demo page where you can test out the features for yourself. Businesses leverage it for customers and employees. For customers, it's useful to provide feedback or to grow brand ambassadors. And for employees, by building a private network where they can connect. SocialEngine provides a 14-day free trial and has a cloud service for $29/month or a plan to use your own server at $299 (one-time). 

3. Squarespace is used by millions of websites and may be the most popular alternative to WordPress. The service is adaptable for many cases - individuals looking to build a personal branded site, hobbyists who want to feature their work or passion, bloggers who want to spread a message and businesses who want to sell their merchandise. Featuring thousands of design templates with built-in analytics and SEO optimization, it's easy to select between categories and get started with their click and drag interface. Try it free (without needing to input a credit card) or choose between the $12 personal plan or $18 business plan. 

Is there an alternative you're using? Let us know in the comments. 

Recommended reading: 

• For logos or web design: 99Designs or CrowdSpring? We Evaluate both.
• Planning checklists before building a site: Three Website Checklists
• For building a WordPress site: WordPress Academy - Build Your Own Site 

Three Website Checklists for Creating a New Website

I've been project managing the construction and launch of new websites for twenty years.  I've also found that, no matter how much planning we do up front, something falls through the cracks.  Something always causes a last minute fire-drill.   As a result, I've decided to create these three Website checklists for use before, during and after a the development of your next website.   Where appropriate, I'll mention some of my favorite tools to help with Website development, in case you want to check them out.  (Full disclosure: this post contains affiliate links for products or services mentioned in this article.)

This is for a basic, mostly content oriented website.   Custom programming, eCommerce or highly interactive sites are likely to require many additional steps.

The Pre-build Checklist - This list includes the stuff you need to know before you get started on your new website.  Note that we mostly reference website's built in Wordpress.  Most of these steps don't depend on a specific platform and apply to Drupal and other platforms. 

• Identify and review all the roles on the project (The Boss, Client POV Spokesperson, Sales Representative, Project Manager, Web Designer, Web Developer/Programmer, IT/Technical including Webmaster, Database Admin, SEO Specialist, Analytics Specialist).  The Boss is the person who gets called if someone is dropping the ball in his organization. 
• On the IT front, its important for the Designer and Developer to have access to the hosting area.   In addition, make sure you identify the person who controls the Domain registration and the email system.   This is really important to have in place before launching the website.   You don't want to lose access to your business email because you didn't plan for this step. 
• Establish regular check-in times and method.  Whether you use GotoMeeting, a business conference service like freeconferencecall.com or just a 3-way phone call, meeting weekly is a good practice. 
• Agree on a sitemap.   A sitemap is an outline of the pages in your website.   You can do something simple in PowerPoint or you can use a tool like slickplan.com to provide a framework behind every step in the website building process.  Deciding on what's in, what's out before you start building will save you a ton of time!
  

  Slickplan allows you to build and track your sitemap
• Agree on who will provide content, including text, images and any videos
• Agree on expected timeframes for the stages of the project
• Review example Websites that the Client POV Spokesperson and Sales Rep both like.  This should inform your site's aesthetics.
• Provide the designer with high quality graphics for logos and specifications for color schemes.  No logo? try 99designs for an inexpensive way to create one.  

The Build Checklist - This list includes those steps you need to make sure you have a clean and successful Website build.

• Determine where the Website will be constructed and who will have access to the development site.  Some Internet Service Providers, like WPEngine and SiteGround,  provide built-in staging areas for Wordpress sites.   
• Decide on your Calls to Action and where they'll be placed. 
• Create wireframes of your home page and key supporting pages, like About Us, Contact Us, Blog Posts, etc.  Balsamiq is a great tool for creating
  wireframes. 
• Have the Designer and Developer create some mockup pages using a Wordpress theme that they recommend.  Themes are pre-configured designs that can be used to quickly create a high quality website.  One of our favorite wordpress theme sites is Theme Garden.
• Have the Developer review the plug-ins that will need to be purchased.  If you're building a Wordpress site (my favorite website platform), you have access to thousands of options.   Yoast is a good source of quality plugins for SEO and Analytics.   WooCommerce can help with sites that are using eCommerce to sell products.  Security is important.  I like BulletProofSecurity.  And BackupBuddy is a convenient tool to ensure your site is always backed up
• Once the themes, colors, logos, sitemap and page content has been identified, the Designer and Developer can begin building the website
• Content is developed for each page in the website and integrated into the design
• The SEO Specialist and Analytics Specialists make sure that every page is configured for SEO and Analytics.   I like Google Analytics.  It's free and powerful, but some commercial web analysis tools claim they can provide even better information.  
• Someone (usually the Project Manager) will QA the pages as they are deemed "complete"
• When everything is in place, the site is ready to launch

The Pre-launch Checklist - All done? Here is the checklist to make sure you have everything you need to complete this website and keep the Boss happy. 

• Make sure the email has been properly addressed in switching to a new website.  Not all website development projects have to worry about this, but its best to double check
• Make a backup of your existing site... just in case.  This is an insurance policy that you can call upon if there is a disaster
• Make sure the Webmaster is ready to switch the old site out and the new site in, including any domain registrar modifications that might be needed
• If possible, plan for a soft launch day when the team can test the site and make sure nothing is wrong (e.g. a weekend or evening)
• Make any configuration changes necessary to robots.txt
• Move the new website from staging into production
• Do another Quality Assurance pass before announcing it to the world
• Announce your new website to the world!

I hope that armed with these checklists and a healthy dose of luck, you will have a smooth and pain-free website launch.  

Let us know what works for you?    Leave us your favorite steps in the comments and we'll add the best ideas to our post.