Too many home business owners jump right in with both feet. They join whatever program they’re promoting or product they’re selling, write whatever ads, pay for whatever advertising and completely neglect the part of their business that helps them do things a little easier. I’m talking about the software that they have or don’t have. I don’t know how I would function without some of the tools at my disposal. And the truth is, you don’t have to spend a lot for some of these things. Heck, some of them you can get for free. Let me pick out my favorite “must have” items.

At the top of the list is a suite of office related programs. I’m talking about a spreadsheet, word processor, visual presentation program and database. Now, for many years, Microsoft Office has been the industry standard. It also comes with a pretty high price tag as well. Last I looked, it’s over $500. Well, you don’t have to spend that kind of money to get a suite of office programs. Open Office, which is open source software, is absolutely free. Just go to their site and download it and you’ll be in business in an hour. This way you can track your expenses, write ads and other documents, keep databases of your customers and even create visual presentations.

You probably also want to get yourself software to make your own videos. Why do I say this? Because video is HUGE today. The traffic you can generate from some of these video sites, especially YouTube, is off the charts. Now, the standard for video creation today is Camtasia, which goes for around $300. But there is no need to spend that kind of money. You can download a copy of CamStudio for free. It’s not quite as robust as Camtasia, but for simple video presentations, it will do the job.

Finally, there are your graphics. I don’t know one business online that is really successful that doesn’t have some super cool graphics to go along with it. Now, you can go spend $700 on Photoshop CS3, or you can get one of the older versions (they’re just as good) for a fraction of the cost, or even download Gimp or a similar program for absolutely nothing. With this software, you can create banners, logos or anything you need for your business.

There is no reason not to have the software that YOU need for your business.

To YOUR Success,
Steven Wagenheim

Looking for a solid 4 step plan to building your own business…FREE? Pick up my free report at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/4steps.html and get started TODAY!