100 Essential Web Tools for Any Side Business

By Tara Miller

Whether you’re a victim of cutbacks, outsourcing or your own personal ambitions, your side business is probably more than just a hobby. And since you’re intent on growing your company into something respectable and profitable, you’ll need the tools and connections to help you project a professional image. Check out our list of 100 essential web tools for anyone who’s starting up a side business.

Marketing and Customers

Attract and spoil your customers with these marketing, PR and CRM tools.

1. Twitter: Use Twitter to network, expand your brand and update the public on new releases and projects.
2. Retaggr: Retaggr lets you set up a "definitive profile" for all of your online accounts and works much like a virtual business card.
3. Cafe Press: Create your own promotional items for a reasonable fee.
4. Breeze: Use Breeze to send out reports, newsletters and email campaigns.
5. SEOMOZ Tools: Find out how well your website is reaching out to customers with this toolset.
6. Craigslist: Reach out to customers by posting your services on Craigslist.
7. Policy Map: Get demographics reports, charts and maps so that you can more effectively target your customer base.
8. Spot Runner: On this site, you can create TV advertisements for your independent business.
9. Your Pitch Sucks?: Get your PR pitch reviewed for free on this site.
10. Knol: Become known as an expert in your field by sharing tips on Knol.

Project Management and Collaboration

Let this collection of tools help you multitask, map out your major game plan, and work with team members around the world.

11. CreativePro Office: This free set of office tools features an office dashboard, project manager, time tracker, invoicing and more.
12. No Kahuna: No Kahuna is a great project management and collaboration tool that’s uber simple and streamlined.
13. Zoho: Zoho is another free office suite that features reporting, e-mail hosting, online invoicing, web conferencing, organizers and more.
14. Lighthouse: Use Lighthouse to track milestones, goals and more.
15. Basecamp: Once your side business takes off, use Basecamp to manage all of the projects, to-do lists, deadlines, feedback and more.
16. ClientSpot: This tool organizes projects, clients, feedback, time tracking and more in one spot.
17. activeCollab: Here you can prioritize tasks, organize big ideas and small tasks, and work with team members.
18. Loose Stitch: With Loose Stitch, you can share brainstorming ideas, edits and to-do lists.
19. Stixy: Marketed as a family organizer, Stixy is also great for teams who want to share notes and ideas on a virtual bulletin board.
20. bubbl.us: This free mind-mapping tool will help you organize every step of your project.

Finance and Accounting

Even if you think you’re not talented at handling money, you can turn your business into something profitable and legit with the help of these finance and accounting tools.

21. Less Accounting: This simple, cute accounting system manages taxes, budgeting, IOUs, repeating invoices and more.
22. PayPal: Request that your customers pay you through PayPal for secure, organized payments.
23. Blinksale: Send invoices online with Blinksale, which lets you send a limited number per month for free.
24. CurdBee: Cute little CurdBee creates estimates, displays account overviews, works with PayPal, lets you use your own logo, and a lot more. Standard subscription is free, or upgrade to a plan that’s $5 per month.
25. Google Checkout: Use this service for safe and convenient selling online.
26. CannyBill: CannyBill manages web-based invoicing that also lets you sell products, integrate with QuickBooks, accept credit card payments online, and more.
27. The Invoice Machine: Choose from different plans to get invoices that are designed with your logo, saved in PDF format, work with PayPal, and more.
28. Dimewise: Dimewise is a financial management tool that’s just the right size for new businesses.
29. Mint.com: Plan out your budget, view all of your finance accounts, get savings tips and more with Mint.com.
30. Invoices Made Easy: Here you can track invoices, accept online payments, print and mail invoices for just $1 each, and more.

Time Tracking and To-Dos

Keep track of the time spent on your side business and how much you should charge clients with these tools.

31. Tick: This "simple and friendly" time-tracking tool offers a free plan and an iPhone app.
32. Harvest: Harvest offers a solo time-tracking plan for $12/month, which features room for unlimited clients, estimates tracking, time tracking, online invoicing and more.
33. Toggl: Enjoy one-click time tracking and a Toggle Timer that you can embed on your Gmail page, desktop and more.
34. Remember the Milk: This to-do list works with Gmail, IM, Google Calendar and more.
35. Jott: Send yourself voice-to-text messages when you’re afraid you’ll forget something.
36. LiveTimer: This time and expense tracker has a ledger for daily and weekly entries, flexible billing rates, and more.
37. Toodledo: Toodledo lets you organize tasks and more into folders, goals, notes, time estimates and more.
38. hitask: Use this tool alone or with a team to manage tasks, keep a calendar and use the drag-n-drop planner tool.
39. Side Job Track: This manager features job tracking, invoicing, reporting and more, and is designed for part-timers.
40. Fanurio: Fanurio is a freelancer’s tool for time tracking, performance analytics, billing and more.

Social Networking

Continue your marketing blitz through free social networking sites that let you meet customers, partners and more.

41. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is one of the premier social networking sites for serious professionals.
42. Facebook: Facebook is ideal for networking, cultivating awareness for your brand, and creating a free page for marketing.
43. Digg: Meet more potential customers and share information about your product or services on this social bookmarking site.
44. APSense: On this site, you can get paid to build up your business social network.

Website Tools

Here you’ll find tools for creating and maintaining an attractive, interactive website for your business.

45. Jumpchart: Track the growth of your website according to how your business grows.
46. Google Alerts: Monitor your online reputation by setting up a Google alert for your brand.
47. Blogger: This free and easy blogging service will help you get the word out about your business.
48. Icebrrg: Design forms for customer feedback and more for your website.
49. Woopra: This analytics tool can let you peek into the reports of your competitors.
50. Userplane: Create a community section for your site with Userplane.

Outsourcing and Extra Help

When you need extra help but don’t have the space or time to manage a full-time team, turn to these resources.

51. Moo: Moo prints postcards, business cards and a lot more based off of your own photos and designs.
52. Ziki: This directory finds suppliers to help grow your business.
53. Zoominfo: Zoominfo is a search engine for people and businesses.
54. XHTMLiT: Fake web design know-how with this easy transition tool.
55. Professional on the Web: Find web workers to work for you or list your own portfolio in this database.
56. Get a Freelancer: Look for freelancers to work on web design and more for your business.
57. iFreelance: iFreelance is another freelancer directory.
58. BizReef: Look for contractors on this site.
59. GetACoder.com: Look to this site for connections to web designers and freelance writers.
60. Elance: Post opportunities for sales, administrative support, writing, translation, and more.

Productivity

Get a handle on your productivity even as you juggle other jobs and responsibilities.

61. BlueTie: Set up your own e-mail system designed for small businesses with BlueTie.
62. Documents Online: Here you an create documents that you can work on at home, at work and with a team.
63. Mindquarry: This productivity and organization tool lets you store and share wikis, files, and tasks.
64. ThinkFree Office: This free workspace lets you create and manage documents more efficiently.
65. Central Desktop: Create a desktop that you can access from anywhere and share with anyone.
66. MarsEdit2: This blog publisher for Macs works without a web browser.

Business Tools

This list of business tools will keep you organized and professional.

67. PlanHQ: Set up a business plan with this tool.
68. MyNewCompany: Let this site help you decide whether or not you need to become incorporated.
69. Mecanbe: This task management and goal setting tool is great for creating business plans.
70. Help Me Work: This tool takes care of administrative and accounting tasks like payroll tax withholding and vacation pay and scheduling so that you can work on the important stuff.

Contacts and Communication

Stay in touch with all the players who are making your business possible with these tools.

71. Email Charger: This software package manages bulk mailing lists and can send out newsletters and more.
72. Google Groups: Set up a Google group to chat with the people who are helping with your projects.
73. Dimdim: This high-quality, professional-looking web conferencing tool is also marketed as being affordable.
74. Vyew: Use Vyew for instant web conferencing meetings and presentations.
75. Project Stat.us: Keep your clients updated with your progress on their projects.
76. Yugma: Yugma is free, remote web conferencing.
77. Doodle: Use Doodle to create polls, schedule meetings and keep in touch.
78. Gmail: Gmail’s searchable e-mail has no cap on storage and also features integrated chat.
79. ooVoo: Manage free video chat and video conferencing with this tool.
80. Plugoo: With Plugoo you can chat instantly with your website visitors.

Legal Tools

Make sure your contracts, copyrights and HR practices are all lawful.

81. Nolo: Visit Nolo for business legal resources.
82. eLaw Advisors: The U.S. Department of Labor has set up this list of laws about security, contractor compliance, training and more.
83. Creative Commons: Protect yourself from copyright infringement by researching licensing tools on Creative Commons.

Calculators

Let these calculators help you compute rates and more.

84. Cha-Ching!: FreelanceSwitch’s hourly rate calculator helps you figure out what to charge.
85. FLSA Overtime Calculator Advisor: Use the U.S. Department of Labor’s overtime calculator when deciding what to charge clients and when paying employees.
86. Breakeven Calculator: Find out when you’ll break even when you use this tool.
87. Cash Flow Calculator: Monitor your business growth with this calculator.
88. XE Universal Currency Converter: When doing business with people in other countries, use this converter to keep everything legit.
89. Loan calculator: Figure out loan payments here.
90. Debt to assets ratio calculator: Figure out your payment plan.

Miscellaneous

Find tools to help you stay current, creative and on track in this list.

91. QOOP: This marketplace lets you sell images, art, documents and more.
92. Contract Pal: Use Contract Pal to sign and process contracts online.
93. Scriblink: This online whiteboard space is just begging for you to brainstorm business plan ideas, new logos and more.
94. Booking Pad: The Booking Pad lets you add bookings capabilities into your website.
95. Yammer: Share project updates, ideas and more with co-workers.
96. OrderMotion: Keep track of incoming orders.
97. carbonmade: Establish your portfolio on line with this sleek tool.
98. Bright Ideas Lab: This brainstorming tool is great for keeping all of your disconnected ideas safe and organized.
99. Zapproved: Use Zapproved to create proposals and send them out cleanly and swiftly.
100. eFax: While the internet may be a faster way of doing things, many clients will still want to send faxes the old fashioned way. This site lets you get them to your email in case you don’t have a fax machine.