Do you want to avoid the drive and the long line at the Post Office?
Do you want to save money shipping packages and parcels?
Do you want to a professional look on your mail packages?

Your solution may be easier than you think - and right under your nose. Printing your own postage at home has lots of benefits - saving you time any money, even if you are just mailing a few letters or packages a week.

And now that “home-based post offices” are becoming more and more popular, I’ve found that the options have increased as well - if you are a small business, you don’t have to pay for more than you need.

All-purpose meter for low volume mailing needs

- Postage rates are calculated automatically with built-in scale
- Print exact postage
- Automatically updates NEW postal rates

Entry level meter - an inexpensive alternative to stamps

- Compact meter fits right on your desktop.
- Easy-to-use keypad guides you through the postage printing process
- Up to 10 Letters per minute

PC-based solution for package shipping

- Ship all types of packages
- Scale automatically sets the exact postage needed by class

If you want to keep your current phone number, but want the cheaper rates of internet calling, we recommend Vonage Internet Phone Service.

You can get unlimited local and long distance calling, with low international rates. Vonage also includes over 25 premium features (like you’d find on a regular phone) with their program - at no extra cost to you.

It will be like you never switched over - but your phone company stopped charging you so much. Some of the premium features included in plan:

- Voicemail, Call Waiting, 3-Way Calling, Call Forwarding
- Call Transfer, Call Return, Repeat Dialing
- Caller ID with Name, Called ID Block

In a time where customers are decreasing their spending, even on everyday items, many businesses are struggling to make sales. What can you do to keep your company above water when families are losing their homes and finding it challenging to put food on the table?

Decrease your spending. You may have already started using the obvious cort-cutting strategies, but take a look at these ideas. >> 5 Ways to Cut Business Costs and improve your bottom line.

BankRate has a “directory” of 331 ways to save money everyday. Not all tactics will apply to your business, although with a little creativity, some may give you some good ideas to cut business costs and grow your profits (especially if you work from home!).

Besides helping you get started in a new business, career training can help you decide whether you’ll actually enjoy a particular line of work before you make a larger investment of time and/or money to launch your business.

Online career training is ideal for entrepreneurs preparing to take the jump into their own venture. Why? It’s usually cheaper, it’s more convenient - as you can compete your studies at home - and you get the flexibility to schedule your coursework when you want.

With the number of classes available online (and growing), entrepreneurs are able to expand their knowledge to offer additional services in their business and thus increase their income. Online career training definitely has its benefits.

RingCentral is a web-based telephone and fax service for professionals and small businesses. You can get a toll free or local phone number, and RingCentral provides advanced features not found on traditional phone systems. Basically, you can pay a lot less, while still receiving high-quality features:

• Maximize your business with these tools: Call Fowarding, Voicemail, Virtual PBX and Fax Send & Receive
• Save time with these features: No Hardware Needed, Real-Time Call Control and Call Screening
• Get More for your money with these free extras: Call Logs, Outlook Integration, Fax-on-Demand

RingCentral Fax lets you receive faxes in your email box and fax documents out. There are several benefits to faxing online, (some are not so obvious):

• Free fax software included, no expensive equipment to buy or hardware to install
  Ability to sign your faxes electronically and send via a secure fax connection
• Choose a local or toll-free fax number, get detailed fax logs and alerts on your phone

Marketing your business can be overwhelming. There are so many options - what’s best? Even if you only want to advertise on the internet, that can be an adventure in itself. I’ve found that simplifying the marketing process makes the task easier to tackle - and you are much more likely to get better results.

iNeedHits has been helping small businesses get the website traffic they need since 1996. Whether you need to get listed in Google, need to improve your rank to appear on the first page of the search engines, need multiple directory listings or just want someone to manage your marketing campaign for you - they can do it, and at one of the most affordable costs I’ve seen.

This is Do-it-Yourself marketing made easy. Plus, they are offering 20% off their already low-cost packages now.

Planning weddings is a big business, but in today’s economy, couples are focusing more and more on their budget. So what better way to grow your business than to save people money!

If you have business connections that allow you product or service discounts - or you can provide information on money-saving strategies, your value to soon-to-be-newlyweds has just skyrocketed.

Professional Business Planner Tiffany Wright shares her insights into this lucrative field >> The Wedding Planner Budget

Do you drive for work? If you drive to meet clients, deliver products or provide a service, tracking your mileage is a way to deduct your auto expense.

Although a great business deduction, it can be a hassle to keep track of miles driven and difficult to prove the deduction, until now…

Mileage Logger is a new device on the market that automatically logs driving miles. It’s a portable and compact GPS/Cellular device that you plug into your car. Mileage Logger is an indispensible tool for business owners and anyone who drives for business. View a free demo online to see how this cool, one-of-a-kind product works.

In this crazy real estate downturn, there’s a surprising bright side: not everyone’s losing money. I read a recent article about home inspectors and contractors who are able to profit from a new business niche, which has grown explosively due to the currect real estate market foreclosures.

It’s getting tougher and tougher these days to get any sort of loan. Don’t give up yet! You do have some control over your options. Before you apply for a small business loan, prepare yourself with positive borrower attributes that lenders are looking for, and you’ll have better success.

• Demonstrate how you plan to turn a profit or boost revenues. Banks are more likely to lend money to those who are able to pay them back. If you’re just starting out, draw up a business plan. Don’t know how? Check out this free online webinar >> How to Write a Business Plan 
• Open a business bank account with the bank you want to borrow from. Some banks offer free business banking services with accounts that you can open online. Business Bank Accounts Online 
• Get a DUNS #, an identification number assigned by credit-rating company Dun & Bradstreet. 
• Check your own personal credit and clear any possible negative marks. You can request a free credit report each year.

More loan options >> Small Business Loans