Posts Tagged ‘business management’

We all have tools that we use daily that make our lives easier, and these are tools we need to share with others to help them make their lives easier. Here are just a few tools I recommend to everyone I know because of how much they have helped me.

I am not an affiliate of any of these products, and I have not been paid to feature any of them. I am just honestly passionate about how well they work. Some are free, some are not, but they are all priced well below what they are worth:

• WordPress – Hands down, the best, easiest to use and most amazing blogging software out there. Of course, it is also what I use and the only thing I recommend for clients. (free)
• Roboform – Remembers all your passwords, all your important information and is so simple to use. I couldn’t handle remembering the 200+ passwords I have without it. ($29.95 for first computer, $9.95 for all others)
• Microsoft Office Home and Business – While I know there are “free” tools that can replace all parts of office, I wouldn’t dream of it. Outlook alone is worth the cost. ($249.99)
• GoToMyPC – I love having access to my desktop computer from my laptop at all time. It is more consistent and easier to use than any other one I tried. ($19.95/month)
• Tweetdeck – The easiest twitter client, and although it can slow down your system, it is definitely worth it. (free)
• Verizon service and my blackberry – As “cool” as everyone thinks an iPhone is, without great service, the phone is no better than a paperweight. I couldn’t imagine not having Verizon. (depends on your plan)
• Cambridge notebooks - They are solid covers on the front and back, which means you don’t need a desk or table to write on them, and it has full size paper. I love these so much! ($11.99/each)
• Firefox – Hands down, the cleanest and easiest to use browser. Now, if only they would get rid of IE permanently… (free)

What tools do you use daily that you couldn’t live without?

I often have topics I think I should cover, but sometimes I like to relinquish control and give it to my readers instead. So, last week, I asked my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter to share some topics they would like to see me cover on my site. I got some incredible ideas, and this first post is courtesy of @healthOC! She asked me to share how the market has affected my business, and others in my industry.

To start, if you are a new reader to this blog, you probably wondered how my business actually got started. Well, my business is actually a product of the horrible economy. In early 2009, I was working for a company as their marketing manager, overseeing 4 different smaller businesses. Wright Creativity was just a blog, I shared my ideas and business creativity. I had a few people I had helped with blog management, but it was very small, and my prices were very low. I was doing it more for fun than for business. But then, the economy hit the company I was with, and I was looking down the barrel of unemployment. It was that point that I decided I no longer was happy working for others and took the *huge* leap to become my own boss. Because I was a small business, just starting, my pricing was much lower than those who were set in the industry. I worked like crazy, and made every single minute count. This hard work and lower pricing helped me to get clients who needed help but couldn’t afford the big firms with the market problems. In addition to keeping me busy in the beginning, it allowed me to build a strong portfolio, great referrals and so now, when the market has started turning around, I am able to bring my pricing up to market level and still have all the clients I need. The economy downturn turned my blog into a business. I am thankful every day that the market took a downturn, and am hoping every day that it continues to go back up!

As far as other companies, I have chatted with quite a few people about the economy, and there seems to be two responses. Those who are active in social media, blogging and participate with their community are still finding success in their industry. They were able to take on smaller projects to subsidize their income from the big clients lowering the amount of help they needed. They could find new clients less expensively, and could create a network of referrals. The other group? Those who are sticking with traditional marketing on the other hand, seem to be struggling a bit more to keep themselves busy. These are the companies that only take on the large projects, and the ones that are feeling the heat when the large corporates cut their marketing budgets to almost nothing. I think that everyone can do well even if the economy is down, it just requires changing the way you work to fit the way that others need you. People need small help, and companies who can take on the small work will be better off in the end. If you can be there now, they will call on you when they can afford large projects.