From corporate jobs to now conducting business, i have learned a lot and am attempting to put some suggestions, tips and helpful tools from an array of service providers.  

Communication is crucial and keeping in touch with your customers is the key. E-mail is a simple and effective way but it becomes cumbersome when you have to

manage hundreds of contacts. Constant contact makes it very simple to create a newsletter and customize it. Ready made, professional templates, cost effective.

Want to take your business online ? According to www.internetworldstats.com there is an estimated 238 million internet users in North America. The internet is becoming part of our lives and more advertisement will be poured into the internet than any other media and the number of internet users is growing steadily. Making a web presence is challenging. Think of your website as a storefront in the world wide web ! Its important to nurture your site. You do not have to be a programmer or a computer professional to hoist your website. But it is important to make a good choice. Your website does not have to be fancy. If you showcase who you are, it is fine.

Few years ago, i opted for a merchant account and hoisted my site to sell online. I realised that i did not have adequate finance to upgrade and sell both online and inthe store front. Yes, it can sometimes get pretty expensive to go online. If you are a starter, keep it simple, don't compare your site to the online clothing store you visited or overstock.com  You can sell online without getting too complicated. Tabulate your products, sign up for paypal and accept checks/credit cards online without much fuss.

Microsoft office live also offers e-commerce solutions. Other userfriendly e-commerce ready site is www.volusion.com (excellent customer service and ease of use)

Vista Print is a great resource for your printing needs. Good design, good quality, good service. Check their monthly free offerings (postcards, fliers etc.)

Dropshipping is one subject which pops out whilst one is researching on the web looking for wholesale items, selling online or establishing an online store. Dropshipping

is a very good idea but it could get pretty complex. Dropshipping is fairly simple in concept but one should keep in mind- does the dropshipper have enough stock ? quality of goods, the kind of return policy you are willing to offer to your customers etc. You can check Doba and decide whether you want to become a supplier or use

the suppliers to sell their items.

For shipping products, i have used my own postage meter, major courier services and also tried online postage. Printing postage from your very own PC is convenient and saves time.

That’s right, all it takes is a PC and a Printer to print USPS-approved postage for envelopes, packages, and even Priority Mail right from home or office.

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