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Sloppy finance practices can kill a business. Smart finance tools can find new profits.
What’s it going to be for you?
Here are FREE finance tools to help you keep more of your money.
I love creativity. Record keeping and finances to me are in the same category as rats and roaches. Yuck. But I’ve also set a standard of living that requires more than just love and creativity to keep it all going, especially my current world. I run two companies and must maximize my time and resources. The only way I can do it is with efficient, easy help and resources.
1) FREE time tracking and invoice software
getharvest.com
I’ve used a lot of time tracking methods in my life including ink scribbles on my hand and some very complex computer programs. This software is the easiest, most flexible I’ve ever used. And you can try it for FREE for 30 days, no software to download and no credit card required. Beyond that they enhanced package options for different degrees of needs and team sizes.
1.5) FREE distance communication and collaboration software
And they have another cool software called Co-op, that allows work groups to coordinate projects and communicate at a distance completely free. I’ll be featuring this in a future FREE Biz Findz dedicated to collaboration resources.
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz review:
I am not a left-brained person and setting up my companies on Harvest was fast and intuitive. You can track by person or by task, monitor time, manage projects and then create easy invoices. This product is ideal for professional service providers. Even if you don’t run a business, they let you track time for one in the forever free program, you could track time sent on volunteer work or some hobby passion too.
As a bonus, the folks behind Harvest (Iridesco) sponsor the Harvest New Founders program, where they supply promising new businesses with free software, advice and an interview on our site to help spread the word, all in the spirit of supporting entrepreneurship.
2) FREE business expense tracking tool
xpenser.com
Xpenser is a free business expense tracking tool that allows you to record expenses from any device - Email, SMS, Voice (call and say your expense), IM, Twitter, iPhone, or blackberry your expenses and have them automatically recorded and managed on Xpenser.com . Xpenser supports mileage tracking, automated currency conversion, budgets and balances, automated file-to-report, and a variety of other features. The base Xpenser offering is and will remain free, and we will be offering Premium (paid) accounts with extra features in 2009. Users who sign up before Premium accounts go live receive a discount.
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz review:
This is almost magical. I called a number from my phone, said “expenser,” and then said “taxi $34.50 from airport to Boston office” and within a few minutes was in my expense report. Same thing with shooting an email, within minutes it was there and ready to move to a report. And for those of you who like texting, tweeting or IMing, you can do it manage your expenses in your favorite communication way. Again the basic offering will always be free, so if nothing else you can keep track of your black shoe purchases by month.
3) FREE Fast calculators - What did that meeting really cost?
Get Your FREE Meeting cost analysis
payscale.com
Are your meetings worth every penny? Find out with the new Meeting Miser. Just enter the attendees and start the timer. This handy gadget knows that time is money and will calculate exactly how much you’re spending … or wasting.
4) FREE Fast calculators - What are you really worth?
Get Your FREE Salary and Benefits Report
payscale.com/mypayscalev
Find out what you’re worth in less than five minutes. Just tell us a little bit about your current job and work history and see if you’re being paid fairly. The survey is anonymous and the resulting salary and benefits report is absolutely free.
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz review:
PayScale is a market leader in global online compensation data. They hold the world’s largest database of individual employee compensation profiles. With all this current data they provide a range of very compelling widgets that are worth experiencing. The results may shock you. In addition to the two I tried their site has others related to the economics of human resources and markets.
5) A FREE copy of Understanding Your Financials
Get this FREE e-booklet called “Keeping Score” on the bottom line your small business financial reports and more. Just shoot fellow businesswomen and entrepreneur Ruth King and it’s yours. rking[at]ontheribbon[dot]com
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz review:
I like this e-booklet because it written by a small business owner. It also simplifies the basics of finance and is an important must read for anyone thinking about jumping into entrepreneurial land.
6) What your business worth? Here’s the tool to find out.
BizEquity.com
According to a recent survey, almost 66% of all business owners do not know how to quantify or calculate the value of their own businesses. BizEquity makes this knowledge readily accessible, drawing on our database of more than 11 million businesses to create an estimated business valuation for your own venture during the key phases of its life cycle: from raising capital to succession planning. The result is a better understanding of your business and how it stacks up to competitors down the street or across the country.
Business owners can also use BizEquity to create a free, customized business valuation that allows comparison against industry benchmarks in an easy-to-understand format. A custom valuation also helps keep relevant information handy when communicating with industry experts and peers via their BizEquity blog.
Cost: FREE
Oddpodz review:
This is certainly a handy tool, but if you are a pre-revenue company you won’t find it valuable. Because it won’t work. It’s great for traditional businesses, assets, revenues etc. Hopefully, all of us social media companies will be in that league soon. |
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