Small Biz Survival: The Cheap Small Biz Software Guide.

Becky McCray lives in a small town, runs a small business and also a cattle ranch, writes a blog, and also consults, helping small towns grapple with their budgets by developing grant proposals and getting them funded. Becky then works with a small team of associates to get the project completed.  She does pretty much the same thing for small businesses.  Busy lady.  And like the towns she works with and the rest of us, Becky feels the pinch of having to do more with less, particularly in these tough times when belt tightening is a must.

So Becky has some excellent advice for those just starting out or buying a new laptop and in need of software… make that inexpensive but undeniably high quality software.

Becky says “I’m cheap. I bought a new laptop for business, but I balk at paying $400 or more extra for software, for a laptop that cost $700. What should I download to install on my new small business laptop? Here are my top picks for no cost programs that are actually useful for the majority of small biz people.

Download-able software

Recognizing that many small towns or rural areas have dial-up internet service only or have unreliable connections, we’ll start with software you can install on your computer and use without an internet connection.

First download: Firefox browser.
For most people, Internet Explorer is the only browser they know. But it is vulnerable to all sorts of security issues, and is not easily customizable. I recommend Firefox. It’s free. You can add on tools like Ad Block Plus (and never look at those annoying flashing ad banners again).It also makes it super easy to subscribe to story feeds from your favorite sites.

Second download: OpenOffice.
You’ll need basic word processing and spreadsheet programs and the ability to open and save files from others. OpenOffice gives you that at no cost. It opens and saves files in Microsoft Office compatible formats. It also exports in PDF.

Third download: FoxIt PDF Reader.
Adobe makes a free PDF reader, Acrobat. But it seems to take forever to load. I like the FoxIt PDF reader, because it is small and quick.

Fourth download: Comodo Anti-virus and Firewall
Don’t overlook security. Comodo makes a decent no-cost firewall and anti-virus package.

Online applications

Have a great internet connection? Take advantage of it to use online tools.

First signup: Gmail.
Hands down the best online email application is Gmail. Big storage, good spam filtering, and
the ability to use your current email addresses. You can find instructions at Gmail to use your existing address.

Second: Google Docs and Google Calendar.
These came free with your Gmail account. With Google Docs you can do basic word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. The bonus is you can access them from anywhere, share with clients and publish them publicly. The Google Calendar is easy and functional, and it also makes sharing easy.

Third: Google Gears.
Gears means you can use your Google Docs even when you can’t connect to the internet.And more websites are adopting this same technology to let you use websites offline. That’s a major benefit if you have unreliable internet.

Next: Skype.
Once you try Skype to make phone calls for free, you’ll be asking everyone, “what’s your Skype name?” rather than “what’s your phone number?”

Rebuttals? Additions?

I know you tech-savvy blog readers have some must-have items of your own. But I have a special challenge to you: Think about the perspective of the average small business person who isn’t geeky. What software and services will they find useful day to day? Those are the ones I’m looking for, and I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.”

We would love to hear your feedback as well.  What software do you use for your website?  Your Blog? Is there other software you’ve found particularly useful?  Let us know and we’ll spread the word and that will help all of us.

Photo: Becky’s old laptop

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