How to Use Cheap Online Services to Start Your Business

This article includes a list of great websites for starting your small business. All of these services are either free or relatively inexpensive, and I've happily used them all for years. The websites cover legal, finance, PR, advertising, private stock offerings, websites, and sponsorships.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Web browser

1. www.PRWeb.com - Free Press Release Submission.
   
   I wholeheartedly believe that free publicity is superior to almost any kind of small business advertising. Through the use of free publicity, my businesses have been covered by national media, newspapers, magazines, television, and radio, and consequently has attracted thousands of people to my websites. I use a combined strategy of hand-delivering press releases to reporters and PRWeb.com. PRWeb.com allows you to automatically submit your press releases to internet news websites and major news networks. If you want someone else to write your press releases for you, consider using Elance.com.
2. www.Elance.com - The eBay of Professional Services.
   
   Elance is an online auction site for freelance business professionals. If eBay is the marketplace for products, Elance is the marketplace for services. You can create any proposal you like and have thousands of freelancers bid on your project. Some examples are writing press releases, business plans, loan applications, grant proposals, building websites, accounting, bookkeeping – anything you can imagine. And here’s the best part -- there are always freelancers who simply want to boost their Elance rating by taking on your jobs for next to nothing. There is no charge to put your projects up for bid, and they only charge a small percentage of the bid price only after you have accepted a bid (you don’t have to accept any bids). I’ve used Elance for 5 years.
3. www.Prosper.com - The eBay of Unsecured Loans.
   
   If you need to borrow less than $25k for your business, Prosper.com may be the easiest way for you to obtain a loan. Prosper.com lenders are not conventional lenders. They’re people like you and me who want to receive a predictable interest rate for lending you money. All of the loans are 3 years and unsecured; meaning that you don’t have to pledge any collateral (i.e. your house). There is no cost to submit your proposal, there are no down payments, and you don’t pay anything until you accept a loan offer. I recently obtained a loan from Prosper.com after being rejected by many conventional sources.
4. www.RegDResources.com - Prepare a Private Stock Offering
   
   If you’re interested in selling stock in your company, you’ll need to make sure that your stock sale is compliant with the rules of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. This can be a very expensive and difficult process for any entrepreneur. The SEC’s “Regulation D” however is an exemption from having to register your stock offering with the SEC by following several guidelines. RegDResources.com charges approx. $1,000 to assist you in preparing your stock offering and make sure that you comply with SEC regulations. This is compared to two quotes from business legal firms who quoted $10K-$15 for essentially the same service. Once your offering is ready, they will review your offering and help you to market it. I have successfully used RegDResources.com to prepare two private stock offerings.
5. www.GoBigNetwork.com - Pitch Your Investment Opportunity
   
   If you’re looking to pitch your investment opportunity to thousands of accredited investors, GoBigNetwork is a great place for you. The cost for pitching your opportunity is between $80 and $150 depending upon the level of exposure you choose. In addition to this service, GoBigNetwork’s newsletter is very informative and is geared to entrepreneurs like you and me.
6. www.Angel.com - Cheap Telephone Hosting.
   
   For $10-$15 per month, Angel.com will provide your business with a toll-free telephone number, an easy to use menu creator, and multiple voice mail boxes. Other features include text-to-speech voice prompts (so you don’t even have to speak), database integration, Caller-ID capturing, call forwarding to multiple telephones, and voice recognition. Nobody has to know that you’re not a big company with an expensive telephone system. I’ve happily used Angel.com for 5 years.
7. www.Craigslist.com - Free Barter Matching Service.
   
   If you're light on cash and heavy on things, skills and ambition, consider bartering your goods and services for the things you need. Last year, I used CraigsList to obtain a 30-ft banner in exchange for displaying a small logo of the printing company.
8. www.eBay.com - Online Auction Site.
   
   Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, you have probably at least explored eBay. Either way, if you sell or intend to sell physical products, you should explore the possibility of expanding your storefront to the millions of people who currently buy products on eBay. Listing your products is inexpensive, and you can set up your auctions in minutes. I’ve happily used eBay for the last ten years.
9. www.SCORE.org - Free Business Advice.
   
   SCORE (division of the Small Business Administration) is America's premier source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs. For 15 years, I’ve received great answers to small business questions ranging from finance to real estate. Simply ask a question, and search for the right counselors to answer you. You’ll receive your answers within a day or two.
10. www.LegalZoom.com - Cheap Legal Documents.
    
    One of your largest startup expenses will undoubtedly be for legal services. LegalZoom charges a fraction of what legal firms do for many legal documents. Form your corporation or LLC for only a couple of hundred dollars, rather than for thousands with your local legal firm. They also can inexpensively help you with patents, trademarks, and copyrights. If you need legal documents, try LegalZoom first.
11. www.1and1.com - Cheap Website Hosting.
    
    For only a couple of dollars per month, 1&1 will help you build a professional-looking website, register a unique website name, and manage thousands of web-based email accounts. They’re the best in their business, and by far the best value I’ve found in the industry. I’ve used 1&1 for 8 years.
12. www.WhoIs.net - Free Website Name Search.
    
    If you’re wondering if someone already owns your favorite website name, use WhoIs.net. If someone does own it, WhoIs.net provides you with contact information for the owners so that you can make them an offer. Often website names are bought up solely for the purpose of reselling them to you for a profit. I’ve used WhoIs.net for 9 years.
13. www.TaxAct.com - Free Tax Return Preparation.
    
    Why pay money for personal tax preparation when you get it for free? Well, almost free. TaxAct is a fully-accredited online tax preparation service which will easily help you prepare your personal Federal 1040 for free. For an extra $12-$16, they’ll additionally produce your state return. I’ve happily used TaxAct for the last two years – and both times on April 15th!
14. www.Sponsorwise.com - Free Sponsorship Proposals.
    
    If your business could benefit from corporate sponsorships, you can propose your opportunities to about 30 major corporations from one website. Rather than hiring dedicated marketing staff, these companies use Sponsorwise to manage sponsorship requests. It’s free to submit proposals. I am currently proposing my sponsorship opportunity to about 10 companies.
15. www.USPTO.gov - Free Patent & Trademark Search.
    
    If you’re looking to do your own patent or trademark search, go straight to the US Patent and Trademark Office. Other sites will charge you to view existing patents and trademarks, but fortunately not the Federal government. I’ve used the USPTO patent and trademark search to help obtain my own patent and trademark.
16. Google Ads – www.Google.com
    
    Certainly you have seen websites with Google Advertisements framing the website’s content. Perhaps you have clicked on an ad or two, or perhaps you haven’t. Either way, you should consider making your own Google Ads for the following reasons. It only costs a few cents per ad. You only pay after a user clicks on your ad, and Google with expose your ad thousands of times. It’s one of the few advertising models that guarantees your ads are working. I’ve used Google Ads for 4 years.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to read the terms and conditions of these online services carefully. Don't just click through and say "I Accept" without knowing what you're getting into.
• It's possible that the pricing on these services may change.