Denise O’Berry
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©2012 Denise O’Berry
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The author may be an affiliate for products recommended within this guide. That means if you
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purchase those items through the link in this guide, the author will earn a commission. You will
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
Text and Word Processing .............................................................................................................. 2
Creating PDFs .................................................................................................................................. 3
Graphic Tools .................................................................................................................................. 4
Audio and Video Tools .................................................................................................................... 6
Email, Autoresponder and Mailing List Tools ................................................................................. 7
Website Design Tools and Templates............................................................................................. 8
Web Hosting & Site Management Tools......................................................................................... 9
Keyword and SEO Tools ................................................................................................................ 10
Payment Processors...................................................................................................................... 11
Disaster Prevention....................................................................................................................... 12
Must Have Wordpress Plugins...................................................................................................... 13
Blogging Tools ............................................................................................................................... 15
Cash Flow and Accounting Management ..................................................................................... 16
Closing Thoughts........................................................................................................................... 17
INTRODUCTION
Hello! Congratulations on getting your very own copy of the Small
Business Resource Guide.
Don’t keep it a secret. Feel free to send it to your clients or
customers, tweet about it, share it on Facebook and Google+, print
it and give to a friend. In other words, share the knowledge.
This guide is not a substitute for professional advice. It’s a
collection of resources I’ve found helpful and use (or have used) in
my business. And I’m always looking for new resources.
If you have suggestions for things you'd like to see added to the next update, let me know. Just
send an email to doberry@gmail.com with the subject “Suggestion for Resource Guide.”
This Small Business Resource Guide is updated periodically. This version is dated January 2012.
To make sure you have the most up to date version, visit: www.doblikes.com
This isn't intended to be the biggest list of things you could use in your business. There’s no
need for that. It would just make us all crazy anyway! For the most part, many of the products
in this list are free. Any that aren't will be marked with the price or mentioned as a paid product
or service.
You can start your business online for less than $100 a year. As your business grows, you may
want to expand your reach. The tools in this guide will help you do that. They're all solid and
dependable. You actually need very few products to get started (that’s the beauty of the
internet!)
To reach any of the resources listed in this document, simply click on the link next to the
resource name and you’ll be instantly taken to that website. (You’ll need to make sure your
internet connection is active.)
Okay, let’s get started…
Enjoy!
© Denise O’Berry Page | 1
TEXT AND WORD PROCESSING
You can’t get by in business without word processing software. From creating simple letters to
documents, presentations and ebooks, it’s an absolute must these days.
Open Office - www.doblikes.com/oo
An excellent desktop software suite that contains a word processor, database program,
spreadsheet, presentation program and drawing software. (Sound familiar?) It not only works
brilliantly as an office suite, it handles the creation of PDFs really well. And yes, it handles MS
Office file formats. If you're planning on creating ebooks or any type of electronic report, these
are all the tools you'll need. I still have a hard time believing this software is free. But it is.
Google Docs – www.doblikes.com/googdocs
Work in the cloud anywhere, anytime. Google Docs is a really good software suite that contains
a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation program that lives completely online. You can
do as much with this software as with MS Office. It will also handle those file formats. If you
plan on working on documents across platforms (pc, phone, iPad), this would be a good choice
for you. Also provides the capability for collaboration and group editing. Really useful. Free.
Note Tab – www.doblikes.com/notetab
This is a very nice family of text editors, with free and low-cost versions. I've been using
NoteTab for years, and it's one of my favorite tools. It’s a bit more robust than the regular
NotePad that comes with the Windows install. The only problem with it is that some versions
don't handle large sorting or find and replace operations well. The program bogs down and
takes forever to finish. On the other hand, it does a great job dealing with large numbers of files
open at the same time. I use the free version. (Lite free, standard $19.95 and pro $29.95
versions)
Set up templates to save time in your business. There’s no need to
“recreate the wheel” every time you need to do something. Spend time
up front to develop just the right format and then reuse it again and
again.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 2
CREATING PDFS
Having the ability to create a PDF file is a definite must for keeping your documents somewhat
secure. For the most part, you can use Open Office or Google Docs to create ebooks and other
documents to share. It handles the job very nicely. There are times when that won't work. For
those, here are some options.
PDF995 – www.doblikes.com/995
An excellent PDF creator. The free version displays a sponsor page in your web browser each
time you run the software. I’ve used this version for a long time and unless you create a lot of
files (and get really irritated about ads), it works just fine. You can always purchase a key for
$9.95 to stop the ads if you desire. Free.
PrimoPDF - www.doblikes.com/primo
Print to PDF from virtually any application. Create PDF output optimized for print, screen,
ebook, or prepress. No annoying pop-up ads, no registration requirement - no catch – and
absolutely free! High-quality, easy to use PDF creator for all users. Grab a copy of this and learn
it. Very handy. Free.
Adobe PDF Creator - www.doblikes.com/adobe
Get it done online. This has all the bells and whistles of the original desktop version but it lives
in the cloud. It’s a subscription service that's $9.99 a month for unlimited document conversion.
(For US and Canadian residents only.) You have to do it through your web browser, but it's a
great alternative if you don't have other ways to do the conversion. And if you want to make
changes or have multiple files, it's cheaper than FedEx/Kinko's.
Always test your PDF after it’s been created to verify everything converted
properly. Click on every hyperlink in the document to make sure its
destination is what you want it to be.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 3
GRAPHIC TOOLS
The interwebs is a visual place which means your online presence will rely on presenting your
business with a good graphical representation.
The Gimp – www.doblikes.com/gimp
A powerful graphic design program, this is the granddaddy of free graphic software and a great
alternative to the very expensive Photoshop. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such
tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. The development team
works hard to keep it up to date with other new technologies. This is a solid choice for you if
you need to do some graphic or picture editing. Free. The software does have a bit of a learning
curve. My colleague Angela Wills offers a helpful course at www.doblikes.com/gimptrng ($27)
Photo Plus – www.doblikes.com/pplus
I haven't used this one, but it's well recommended. It is free photo editing software that you
download to your desktop and then it’s yours to use for life. You’ll need to register to get a
registration key. Free.
Free Graphic Creator – http://www.doblikes.com/graphiccreator
If you plan on creating sales pages for your products, this tool will come in handy. It lives in the
cloud and all of your work is done there. It’s very simple and straight forward. You can create
cool red headlines, simple and fancy Buy Now boxes, and a really slick guarantee graphic. Make
sure and mark this in your favorites. Free.
Button Generator - www.doblikes.com/buttons
Quickly create buttons and menu graphics for your website. There are tons of free buttons and
menus to choose from. No software to install, this software lives in the cloud. Free.
Box Shot King – www.doblikes.com/king
You can literally create a cool looking graphic in less than five minutes — and there is no
learning curve. There is nothing to install on your computer as the software lives online. I love
this software and use it at least once a week. There are templates for ebooks, hardcover books,
softcover books, iPad, smartphones, video boxes – and the owner is adding new graphic
templates regularly. Customer support is top notch too. This service normally costs $99 for a
one year subscription; however I negotiated with him and got a $30 coupon. If you decide to
sign up, make sure you use coupon code oberry so you get the service for only $69.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 4
GRAPHIC TOOLS (CONT)
Big Stock Photo -- www.doblikes.com/bigstock
If you need photos or stock graphics, this is a great place to get them. This is what I personally
use because they have a vast selection and it won’t break the bank. Nothing here is free, but
you can purchase graphics on a “pay as you go” basis or buy a package that gives you a certain
amount of credits. I always buy a package because it’s more cost effective. Most photos and
graphics will cost you one credit.
Jing – www.doblikes.com/jing
For grabbing screen captures to turn into graphics, you can’t beat this software. It’s simple to
install and free to use as long as you don’t mind a water mark (video). But it’s also super cheap
to get rid of the water mark by purchasing an annual subscription at $14.95. Well worth that
minor investment because you get more features too. I use this software weekly and don’t
know how I lived without it! You can download it for free to give it a try and then get the
subscription if you find it works for you. (Also included in the video section.)
Flickr -- www.doblikes.com/flickr
This is a photo sharing site where millions of people upload their personal photos. Many of
them are free for you to use with a simple credit to the photographer. I don’t use this much
because it takes me way too long to find what I’m looking for, but it may be right for you. Make
sure you check the copyright permissions before using a photo or you could get into some hot
water. Not all photos are allowed for reuse. Free.
Put some thought into the visuals you create for your website and any
infoproducts you produce. It can mean the difference between having a
smash hit or a mediocre success.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 5
AUDIO AND VIDEO TOOLS
A variety of interaction will help you engage your customers. Adding audio and video to your
online presence is easy.
Audacity - www.doblikes.com/audacity
This is powerful open source software for recording, editing and converting digital audio. It's
available for almost all operating systems. Likely all you'll need for audio for quite a while. And
easy to use too. I’ve been using Audacity for years and it’s really all you need. Free.
Skype - www.doblikes.com/skype and Pamela for Skype - www.doblikes.com/pamela
I’m sure you’re familiar with Skype (free internet calls to anywhere in the world), but you may
not be aware that it’s a killer tool when joined with Pamela. These two tools together can help
you create audio or video that can be shared with your target market for training, sales or just
communication. Free. Both have pro versions starting at approximately $30.
CaptureFox - www.doblikes.com/capturefox
This is a Firefox browser add-on and a handy tool to create tutorials about software, a web site
or anything that can be displayed on your computer. It records your screen frame by frame. You
can also record your voice. It is super easy to use and totally free. (Note: It does not currently
work with version 8.0.1 of the Firefox browser, but the developer is typically pretty responsive
at getting it updated.) Free.
Jing – www.doblikes.com/jing
For recording short video, you can’t beat this software. It’s simple to install and free to use as
long as you don’t mind a water mark (video). But it’s also super cheap to get rid of the water
mark by purchasing an annual subscription at $14.95. Well worth that minor investment
because you get more features too. I use this software weekly and don’t know how I lived
without it! You can download it for free to give it a try and then get the subscription if you find
it works for you. (Also included in the graphics section.)
Audio and video add extra opportunities for engagement with your target
market. Remember, people do business with people (not companies).
These methods make you more human.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 6
EMAIL, AUTORESPONDER AND MAILING LIST TOOLS
For years now, it has been proclaimed that email is dead. That couldn’t be further from the
truth. You must have an email connection with your customer to help build relationships.
Aweber - www.doblikes.com/aw
Run your newsletter, send follow-up autoresponders and email announcements with ease. This
is what I use and in my opinion, it’s the best of the breed. Most other services only provide
email marketing capability. That’s okay if it’s all you need, but autoresponders can help you
build strong relationships with your target market so you can turn them into customers. If
you're not familiar with the uses of follow-up autoresponders, check out the site and read
through their explanations. This is one of the best ways to automate your business and build
great customer relationships. You can sign up for $1 to see if it fits your needs.
Constant Contact - www.doblikes.com/constantcontact
This is a very popular email marketing provider. I used them many years ago when I first started
out and was very happy with them until I realized I needed a more robust service. They have a
big variety of templates from which to choose and their web interface is really simple to use.
Campaigner - www.doblikes.com/campaigner
This service is a fairly recent (last couple of years) provider in the email marketing space. I have
not used them, but they have a good reputation online. You can try them free for 30 days and
then choose the package that works best for your business.
iContact - www.doblikes.com/icontact
This provider is also a fairly new email marketing service provider. They have a good reputation
in the industry, but I have never used them. They also have a free 30 day trial.
You’ve probably heard “the money’s in the list.” Well, it can be. But the
best thing about having a list is that you have the chance to build
relationships with your market so they get to know you (and will “maybe”
buy your stuff!).
© Denise O’Berry Page | 7
WEBSITE DESIGN TOOLS AND TEMPLATES
Having a presence on the interwebs is much simpler now than it was just a few years ago.
Wordpress (.org) - www.doblikes.com/wordpress
You’ve probably heard this called “blog” software, but it’s so much more. It is free open source
software than can normally be installed on your website through your webhost’s control panel
in a single click. It’s a very robust and popular web site design system that boasts tons of
developers and experts across the web. You can design just about any type of website using
Wordpress with the broad array of themes (web design packages) that are available. Free.
Studio Press Themes - www.doblikes.com/sp
Studio Press is the brain child of a blogger (Brian Clark – Copyblogger). It is a set of templates
that can help you present your business professionally at a low cost. You can purchase one
template or the entire set. Great support forum ready to help when you need it.
Squeeze Page Templates - www.doblikes.com/squeeze
I love these sales page templates from Welly Mulia. If you plan on doing any stand alone sales
pages, make sure you look at his squeeze page templates as an option before you do anything
else. I first found his design templates in 2010, bought the first one and have been a “raving
fan” of his stuff ever since. I’ve used his squeeze page templates over and over again – they are
clean, simple to use and offer a variety of design options, plus you get a ton of extras when you
purchase at only $47.
NVU - www.doblikes.com/nvu
If you really want to build a website from scratch (ugh!), take a look at this free software. I tried
it several years ago and found it a bit difficult to work with. They have improved it and now
provide several templates from which to choose when building your website. Some of my
colleagues have found this software helps them design web pages. Your mileage may vary on
this one. It is probably better than building “totally” from scratch unless you have strong
programming skills. Free.
Using the Wordpress (.org) content management system (aka blog
platform) is simply the easiest way to have a professional presence on the
web that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to build or maintain. It’s a no
brainer.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 8
WEB HOSTING & SITE MANAGEMENT TOOLS
Filezilla - www.doblikes.com/filezilla
You will need a file transfer protocol (FTP) program on the rare occasion that you need to
upload or download files to your website control panel. Free.
Google Analytics - www.doblikes.com/analytics
It’s important to know statistics about your web site. Google Analytics tells you everything you
want to know about how your visitors found you and how they interact with your site. You'll be
able to focus your marketing resources on campaigns and initiatives that deliver ROI, and
improve your site to convert more visitors.
CopyScape - www.doblikes.com/copyscape
Online it seems there is always someone looking to steal your good content. And if you are
hiring people to provide content for your site, you’ll want to make sure that it’s original
content. You can enter your URL and find sites around the web that are very similar or exact
copies. A great way to tell if someone is stealing your copy. Free and paid versions.
GoDaddy - www.doblikes.com/gd
This is where I have all of my web domains registered. Find a favorite and stick with it.
The three web hosting companies listed below are some of the most popular on the interwebs.
What works best for you will be what meets your needs. Take a look at all three and find a good
fit. My top criteria are ease of use and support. Your needs may be different. Choose wisely.
HostGator - www.doblikes.com/hostgator
BlueHost - www.doblikes.com/bluehost
1and1 - www.doblikes.com/1and1
Before choosing a web host, do your research. It can be tough (time
consuming and a big headache!) to move your site once you have it
established somewhere. Determine what criteria are important to you
and then compare potential hosting companies against it.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 9
KEYWORD AND SEO TOOLS
Google Keyword Tool - www.doblikes.com/keywords
The Google keyword tool shows you ideas for choosing relevant keywords for your website
based on what people are searching for. Free.
Wordtracker - www.doblikes.com/wordtracker
This is a robust tool that can help you quickly build sets of themed keywords to estimate the
true size of the niche you are targeting and help you plan your site and your content. Free and
paid subscriptions available.
SEOMoz - www.doblikes.com/seomoz
The Beginner's Guide to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an in depth online tutorial on how
search engines work that covers the fundamental strategies that make websites search engine
friendly. Free.
SEO Fast Start - www.doblikes.com/seofast
SEO Fast Start is a "process driven" approach to search engine optimization. It is based on a
process the author, Dan Thies, uses that will help you understand, communicate to others,
and modify as you see fit. Dan is a very credible and respected online expert. Free.
Google Best Practices Guide - www.doblikes.com/seoguide
Google isn't going to tell you how things really work with their algorithm. You need a trusted
source to get you the right information - at the right time. This is the only guide you will need to
improve your Google rankings. The Google Best Practices Guide contains information found
nowhere else. You will learn SEO techniques that have been proven through countless hours of
testing on real domains. Author Jerry West shares the same optimization techniques that he
has used to build 713 dominant websites. This is what I use for my sites. It's not free, but at $47
it's a real bargain.
There is so much misinformation across the web about keywords and
search engine optimization (SEO). Find one expert to listen to based on
actual proof and stick with them. And remember, this is a moving target
so you’ll need to stay on top of it.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 10
PAYMENT PROCESSORS
These are companies that will take credit card payments for you, for a fee. They all have
different terms and ways of operating. These payment processors will serve you well if you are
selling online without the hassle of getting a merchant account. Look them over and see which
ones will work best for you.
PayPal - www.doblikes.com/paypal
PayPal is one place you definitely want to have an account. The number of businesses that
accept PayPal payments is big and getting bigger, as is the number of people paying through
them. And getting set up to sell with them is simple and safe. I’ve had a PayPal account since
the early 2000s and don’t know how I would survive without one. Start your account for free. If
you want a trusted resource for selling your downloadable products that will integrate with
PayPal, take a look at E-Junkie - www.doblikes.com/ejunkie (You can set up an affiliate
program there too.)
ClickBank - www.doblikes.com/clickbank
ClickBank is a combination payment processor and affiliate program manager. Using them, you
can collect payment from your customers, send the customer to the download page so they get
their product, and pay affiliates automatically. They only allow the sale of digital products.
There fees are $49 to get set up, and $1 + 7.5% per transaction. If you are planning to sell more
than one product through ClickBank, you'll need special software to do it all from one account.
Before you get started, grab a copy of Adrian Ling's "Easy Clickmate. ($67)" It makes selling
through ClickBank a bunch easier. The one big problem with ClickBank is that, while anyone can
easily sign up as an affiliate, you don't actually know who your affiliates are. EasyClickmate -
www.doblikes.com/ecm solves that problem and a bunch more. It’s a great program that I
personally use.
2CheckOut - www.doblikes.com/2co
Lower fees than ClickBank, handles recurring billing, and can make payments by direct deposit.
They also allow for the sale of both digital and physical products. I have never used them, but
have heard good feedback about this service.
Unless you really need a merchant account, start out with a payment
processor like one of the services above. It will save you a bunch of money
and hassle. No matter what, make sure you set up a PayPal account.
People expect it these days.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 11
DISASTER PREVENTION
If your business is primarily contained on computers and the internet, you may not have
thought about protecting your business from disaster. A lot of people don’t. But just ask the
person whose computer hard drive failed how valuable that information was to their business.
It’s easy, cost effective and painless to subscribe to an online backup service and will cost you
less than $100 per year. Isn’t your business worth that?
Carbonite - www.doblikes.com/carbonite
With annual subscriptions starting at only $59 per year for unlimited space, you can’t beat this
for protecting your business. This is what I use. It’s really unobtrusive as it runs in the
background on your computer and doesn’t slow things down. You have total control over all the
settings. What I like most about this is when you look at your backup online; the file structure is
identical to the way your computer is set up. That makes it easy to find just what you are
looking for.
Mozy - www.doblikes.com/mozy
This is a popular online backup subscription service that starts at $3.95 per month per
computer for business accounts with a restriction on the amount of information you can back
up. It also runs in the background on your computer. I used to use this service but found
navigating the file structure online confusing. Your mileage may vary.
Roboform - www.doblikes.com/rf
If you’ve been on the interwebs for any length of time, you already have oodles of passwords
you are trying to remember. That’s not any fun. And if you use the same password for every
web site, you are putting yourself at risk. This tool has been my solution for years. You don’t
have to remember passwords and it will help you create strong passwords that are hard to
crack. You can get started for free, but the pro version is your best bet at only $9.95 per year.
You simply cannot take chances with your business. You should have
some sort of backup even if you have an external hard drive (they fail
too!). I’ve been on the web since the late 90s and heard too many horror
stories about computer melt downs and small business owners who have
lost valuable information. Don’t be one of them.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 12
MUST HAVE WORDPRESS PLUGINS
Wordpress is absolutely the best choice for building a website these days (.org not .com). You
can do just about anything with your site using the vast array of plugins that are available.
There are a variety of free and paid plugins available.
You can find the free plugins below by signing in to your Wordpress dashboard, selecting the
plugins option and doing a search on the plugin name within your control panel. That makes it
super easy to install new plugins once you’ve found them.
Broken Link Checker – Monitors your site for broken links
Wordpress Editorial Calendar – Shows your pending posts in a calendar view
Insights – Allows you to quickly search for internal posts to link to
Blubrry Power Press – Adds podcasting support to your blog
Get Social – Adds a floating social media box on your posts
The following plugins are not free, but are essential to a successful site in my opinion. I have
used each of these for quite some time and am very pleased with the results.
Backup Buddy - www.doblikes.com/bub
Your Wordpress database contains every post, every comment and every link you have on your
blog. If your database gets erased or corrupted, you could lose everything that has ever been
posted to your site. Most regular backup plugins only back up these components of your site.
This plugin backs up everything - widgets, themes, plugins, and SQL database - the entire
package. Prices starting at $75 per year. Well worth it.
Gravity Forms - www.doblikes.com/gf
This is an amazingly versatile form creation plugin and it’s easy to use with simple drag and
drop. You can build and publish a new form in minutes. No drudgery, just quick and easy form-
building. Select your fields, configure your options and easily embed forms on your site using
the built-in tools. Prices start at $39 per year.
If you can imagine it, there’s probably a plugin that will do it for you. Look
around online, or ask your friends and colleagues.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 13
MUST HAVE WORDPRESS PLUGINS (CONT)
Pretty Link - www.doblikes.com/plfree and www.doblikes.com/plpro
If you’ve been around on the interwebs for any amount of time, you’ve seen the common url
shorteners like budurl.com and t.co. Well, Pretty Link gives you the ability to shorten any link
with your own domain. Doing that also provides you with the capability to track how many
times the link gets clicked so you can tell what’s working and what’s not. There are two
versions, a free version that will work fine for most people and a pro version (starting at $37)
that provides enhanced features. I have the pro version and it works really well for me. You
might have noticed how all of the links in this document begin with www. doblikes.com. I’m
able to do that because of the Pretty Link plugin. For my purposes, I wanted to see what people
reading this document were most interested in and the plugin gives me the capability to track
those statistics like an analytic program.
Premise - www.doblikes.com/premise
Premise is a plugin that lets you quickly and effectively create landing pages with Wordpress.
You’ve got to be able to create sales landing pages outside of your normal Wordpress theme
that don’t include your typical header and sidebars in the mix, and you need to be able to
control styles, colors, fonts, and graphics specifically to those landing pages. Premise allows you
to easily create six critical landing page styles in Wordpress, add visual flair with included
custom graphics, and control fonts, colors, and styles without code. And it works with any
Wordpress theme you’d like to use it with. I love that Premise has made my business life a
whole bunch easier. Price starts at $85.
You can easily get by with free plugins, but you’ll want to make sure they
are accomplishing your objectives for your website. Sometimes it’s better
just to spend a bit of money than to settle for less than what you want.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 14
BLOGGING TOOLS
If you have a blog on your website (or maybe your entire site is a blog!), there may be times
when you need a tiny bit of help to keep it going. There’s not much for free on this page (except
the way cool blogging calendar!), but I own, use or am a member of each one of these tools and
they will dramatically help you in your business. Take a look and see what might work for you.
Blogging Calendar - www.doblikes.com/bc
You might have a bunch of ideas for what to write about on your blog, but if they are scattered
about they won’t do you much good. A bit of planning will help you rest easier and do a better
job reaching your target market. For the fifth year in a row, my friend Lynette Chandler has
published her free blogging calendar to help you jump start and plan your content. Last year’s
calendar was downloaded over 11, 000 times – yes, it’s that good. Free and no opt in needed.
Get your copy today. Free.
EasyPLR - www.doblikes.com/easyplr
You may not have heard of PLR (Private Label Rights) products. They are typically articles and
short reports that you can buy, and customize to make them your own. You own complete
rights to the content. It’s like having a ghost writer to help you reach your target market. PLR is
helpful when you are looking to cover a specific topic and can’t quite think of the right words or
if you are trying to quickly put a white paper or ebook together to serve your market. They can
really help you when your blog “idea pot” runs dry. EasyPLR is owned by my colleague Nicole
Dean who is a master. She’s been in the PLR business since 2006 and offers only top quality
PLR. With packages starting at $5, you can’t lose. You’ll also want to check out Nicole’s BlogCPR
www.doblikes.com/blogcpr if you are struggling with keeping your blog going so you can
leverage it as a valuable business property.
PLR.me - www.doblikes.com/plrme
This site by Ronnie Nijmeh has been around for a good long time too. PLR.me has membership
based offerings and PLR packs. It is good quality writing. If you’re still on the fence about
whether to use PLR or not, get your free copy of 101 Ways to Use PLR at the link below (pdf).
www.doblikes.com/101PLR
It’s easy to get burned out when you have a blog that constantly needs
updating. Most people start out gung ho and then fizzle out. Take some
time to forward think your business and plan out a strategy so it doesn’t
happen.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 15
CASH FLOW AND ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT
Don’t waste time managing your business finances manually. There are plenty of tools to help
you so you can focus on growing your business.
QuickBooks - www.doblikes.com/qb
QuickBooks is the gold standard of accounting software for small business. I’ve been using this
product since the early 2000s and have been very satisfied. There are a broad range of options
depending on the needs of your business. You can get started for free with the online version.
I’ve used the online and desktop versions over the years and actually prefer the desktop, but
your mileage may vary.
Mint - www.doblikes.com/mint
Mint is a personal financial management application that allows you connect multiple accounts
so you can track transactions in and between those accounts all in a single online
interface. Many account types can be included, such as checking and savings accounts,
investment accounts, retirement accounts and credit cards – pretty much any financial account
you’re using. It also contains other at-a-glance management tools. Free.
Shoeboxed - www.doblikes.com/shoebox
If you hate dealing with receipts of any type, this may just be the service for you. Shoeboxed
will take your receipts, organize them and place them in your online account so you can search
and find whatever you are looking for. I know I’m pretty lazy when it comes to organizing
receipts and end up doing a big stack at a time. I haven’t yet used this service, but it comes
highly recommended by a colleague. There are various levels of membership. You can get
started for free.
Freshbooks - www.doblikes.com/freshbooks
If you’re spending tons of time each month on invoicing, you’ll want to give Freshbooks a try.
It’s an online invoicing service that will integrate with your payment processor and your
accounting software. Works pretty slick. You can start for free.
Cash flow is really important to your business. No business can survive
without it. Using the right tools to help you keep your cash flow on track
will help you sleep better at night.
© Denise O’Berry Page | 16
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Whew! So there you go. I hope you find the resources included in this
guide useful for your business.
I’ve been working on the internet since 1996 and I’ve seen a lot of
change. This guide (for 2012) contains totally different resources than
the first one I published over seven years ago.
That’s a good thing for your business.
The growth of the internet provides lots of new opportunities for
small business owners like us – from starting a business to fill a need
to leveraging what others have created to help our businesses grow.
I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
And I can’t be everywhere, so I need your help. I like to keep the guide updated, so please, if
you have suggestions for things you'd like to see added to the next update, let me know. Just
send an email to doberry@gmail.com with the subject “Suggestion for Resource Guide.”
I don’t have a notification list for the guide, so you might want to join me on the following
networks to learn about new versions. I’d love to talk with you!
Twitter www.doblikes.com/twitter
Facebook www.doblikes.com/fb
Google Plus www.doblikes.com/gplus
YouTube www.doblikes.com/yt
Plus you might want to browse around my website at www.deniseoberry.com It’s loaded with
small business tips that could help you in your business along with my small business action
guides that will help springboard your success. If you have a Kindle, I invite you to take a look at
my published books and see if anything resonates with you. You’ll find them at
www.doblikes.com/kindle I’ve got a lot more in store for this year!
Thanks once again for downloading this guide. The best thing you can do now is to USE IT!
P.S. Don’t forget to tweet about this guide – Click here to Tweet Now!
© Denise O’Berry Page | 17