Posts Tagged ‘Internet’

New iPhone App Lets You Connect Instantly with Business Services

Friday, August 6th, 2010

InsideUp has has just released an iPhone app that will help you find the services you need instantly, and get immediate quotes from multiple vendors. When you submit a request on the iPhone or iPad, you will be instantly matched with vendors that fit your criteria, and receive custom quotes from up to five providers. Not only will you save money on business services, but you will get access to top quality, pre-qualified vendors.

Business owners are increasingly relying on Web-enabled phones and other mobile wireless devices to conduct business on-the-fly. With this app, you can take immediate action whenever an idea presents itself. If brainstorming over lunch produces a brilliant plan for a direct marketing campaign, just a few touches to your iPhone screen will have you in touch with a direct mail provider while your ideas are still fresh.

The application currently includes VoIP phone service, call center services, direct mail, web design, credit card processing, debt collection services, and payroll accounting vendors. More services will be added to the system in the future.

Once you’ve downloaded the app, all you need to do is answer a few simple questions about your business needs, and the system will match you with qualified vendors, based on your company profile and specific needs. The app is free, and it only takes a couple of minutes to submit your information.

This new app will be an indispensable time-saver for businesses, eliminating the ordeal of researching each provider to find the one that best matches their needs and budget. The immediacy of this system makes it simple and cost-effective for businesses to have ready access to service providers.

Statistics from research firm Gartner show that the number of smartphones and Web-enabled phones will soon exceed 1.82 billion units. With 6.5 billion mobile connections expected by 2014, all companies, both large and small, will be accustomed to conducting business online.

Download this time-saving app here, and discover how easy it can be to get the business services you need, as soon as you need them.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Vendor Sourcing | 13 Comments »

Small and Medium Businesses are Embracing Web 2.0

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

clip_image002

According to Access Market International (AMI) Partners, more than 40% of small and medium businesses (or about 2.8 million businesses) are using Web 2.0 applications as part of their normal business practices. Web 2.0 is a term that describes interactive web features such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, & Digg.

At InsideUp, we believe that the embracing of Web 2.0 by small and medium businesses will continue to grow exponentially as companies find that applying Web 2.0 applications provides a forum for communication and exchange that can lead to a competitive advantage.

Here are some other interesting stats about how businesses use Web 2.0 from the AMI survey:

• More than 400,000 small and medium businesses in the U.S. use blogs and webcasts to promote their businesses.

• 24% of small and medium businesses are using SaaS (software as a service). SaaS applications, such as Backpack, a popular small business organization tool, are hosted on a service provider’s computer and offered to businesses for use. This allows businesses to utilize effective tools without having to download, install, or maintain software.

• About 20% of small and medium businesses participate in online communities and portals, such as online chat forums.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Small Biz Tips | 2 Comments »

How do you select vendors?

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

When you’re the boss, sooner or later you’re going to need help from professionals. And we’re not talking about that kind of professional help (although many have gone stark raving mad as a result of running their own businesses).

No, the type of help we’re referring to is the kind that actually enables you to make more money. Needing it is consequence of success:
When you make enough money, you require the services of an accountant.
If you grow your business unexpectedly fast and don’t know what to do next, you might benefit from the guidance of a business coach or consultant.
Once you have real assets, you really should meet with an attorney who can help you shelter them.
Or you might need someone who knows what to do about that swarm of bees that decided to build a hive just above the front door.

These are all good problems to have (any sighting of live bees has to be considered a plus now) and they’re the kinds of issues that require strategic action – based on more than your own hunches and the advice of your friends, neighbors and in-laws. When your future earnings are on the line, you want to make the best decisions you can.

So, how do you identify your best options when you are seeking professional help for your business? (This is not a rhetorical question, we really want to know.) Do you:
- Talk to others in the business?
- Comb through Google search results and hope for the best?
- Drive around looking for a sign?
- Riffle through the Yellow Pages?
- Try to remember the ad you saw?

So much has changed in how businesses market themselves to each other.

When you are shopping for a business-to-business vendor, what works for you?

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Vendor Sourcing | 3 Comments »

The Inspiration Behind InsideUp

Friday, December 19th, 2008

What inspired us to start InsideUp? It’s simple: our team of Internet business veterans saw a tremendous need among small businesses to be able to find reliable business service providers efficiently, and for business services firms to use online communities to educate and connect with business prospects, especially with small businesses.

According to a 2007 report published by Visa International, small businesses (businesses with less than 100 employees or less than $25 million in sales) in the U.S. spend $1.68 trillion yearly on business services, or nearly 35% of their total business expenditures.

Our own research at InsideUp has been centered on trying to understand how small businesses find business service vendors. Our research indicates that it takes a tremendous amount of work and time to find reliable and reputable business service providers. A business service provider, mind you, can be anyone from a recruiting company that helps you find staff to the marketing company that implements a direct marketing campaign for you.

InsideUp has taken on the challenge of helping to solve these problems for small businesses and the firms that want to provide business services to them. The Beta release of our community platform is a step forward on an ambitious road to provide a comprehensive online platform where small businesses can connect with business service providers. Lots more to come, so stay tuned…

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Small Biz Tips, Vendor Sourcing | No Comments »