#Geek tools to make you more productive trial
#Geek tools to make you more productive free

Elance вЂ“ The first place we go when we are looking for freelance talent.

Paymo вЂ“ a time tracking program that syncs with Basecamp for easy records keeping.

CRM is one of our biggest challenges at the moment. Resolution for new year to find a good system and use it.

ZohoCRM вЂ“ Used to be on Highrise (didnвЂ™t use it).

Big Cartel вЂ“ Our web store for selling T-shirts and other future merchandise.

Evernote вЂ“ A great tool for capturing notes, photos, etcвЂ¦on the cloud.

web dev, designers, etcвЂ¦) or do heavy consulting. Best for companies that have a linear production process (i.e.

Basecamp вЂ“ If you donвЂ™t know about this project management tool, you must live in a cave? We still use it, although less than before.

Cost $35/year for membership вЂ“ no upfront costs (!). How we published the Story Manifesto in 90 days.

CreateSpace вЂ“ Print on Demand publishing.

videos) вЂ“ replaces the need for FTP type service.

DropBox вЂ“ Our shared file directory in the cloud, used by our team, especially for large files (e.g.

$4.95/month for personal account with unlimited bandwidth. Just saved my ass when computer crashed two weeks ago.

Mozy Backup вЂ“ Best remote/virtual backup solution (mac/pc).

This app changed my life as an entrepreneur.

#Geek tools to make you more productive free

FREE to use, or just $8/month for upgraded account with special reporting features.

Pulseapp вЂ“ The killer app for tracking your working capital as a small business (cash flow is king, right?).

Includes domain masking so michael AT lives on the Gmail cloud with extra business security, etcвЂ¦Hot Stuff. Free version available, although we upgraded to $50/year.

Google Apps вЂ“ How we manage email, calendar, shared docs, and more across our company.

If you are still on ConstantContact вЂ“ time for a makeover! Based on current growth of our list, $75/month. Includes expanded Social CRM functionality.

Mailchimp вЂ“ Our preferred e-newsletter program, with a cute monkey mascot that makes you smile.

It also helps to have Jodi keeping tabs on much of these various tools. It would feel daunting to run a virtual organization without this core infrastructure in place. These are the tools that power our day-to-day operations and collaboration. Many of these web apps are free or cost less than $30/month.

Here goes: my assembled geek list of favorite tools, web apps, and platforms that allow us to run a virtual organization with a small wallet and oversized footprint. Welcome your questions and suggestions in the comments section at the end of the post. These are simply the tools that we currently use to manage Get Storied. Also, just to be clear, none of the products listed are affiliate links (itвЂ™s our gift after all). This list is not exhaustive вЂ“ always a work in progress. By all means, you may prefer something else out there.

#Geek tools to make you more productive trial

My own personal preferences developed from real-world trial and error. The following tools are a key part of the equation.Дisclosure: These geeky recommendations are just that. In less than 18 months, we have built an eco-system of ideas, and done it for pennies on the dollar.

With this in mind, IвЂ™m going to lift up the veil and give you a glimpse into how we operate Get Storied. Because, letвЂ™s be honest we all could stand to work a little less (or at least a bit smarter) in 2011. In the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to create a simple and lasting gift for all of our readers.ДЄfter much reflection, I decided to channel my inner-geek.