These are 7 amazing tools that every entrepreneur can use to help them make money online and build a mobile business, which is key to escaping the 9 to 5 and living the life you want. Try them out, give me feedback on which you love the best and feel free to add to the list in the comments section below!

  1. Basecamphq – this is a site that me and my virtual workers use constantly to manage projects, keep notes, count time spent on each client, etc. For a low monthly cost Basecamp can help you make more money, get really organized and fertilize a truly mobile business model where you never have to meet any employees face to face, but still get a heck of a lot done.
  2. Teqpad.com - this site offers a lot of free metrics on your website or blog, I am not sure if it is as accurate as other paid platforms but it gives you at least a good idea of what is going on behind the scenes. It also offers helpful hints and shows the amount of backlinks you are getting from all the major search engines.
  3. E.ggtimer - not only can you time boiling an egg with this online bad boy, but you can make more money by seeing the EXACT amount of time you are spending on each client, each task, etc. This has a two fold benefit for businesses, especially those who deal on a project to project basis, you can make sure you are being as productive as possible while ensuring you are getting enough buck for your bang.
  4. Skype - I have a business phone, just like all big businesses, but my business phone isn’t sitting an office, its mobile, just like my business. My business line is linked through Skype (you can buy a dedicated line for cheap) and then redirects to my cell when I’m not online. This way I don’t have to give out my personal number and it also looks waaay more professional. Almost as professional as using the word ‘waaay’.
  5. Rocking Business Cards - Yes, having an awesome business card does make you more money and helps you network, connect and interact with people you normally wouldn’t have much to talk to about. The business cards from taste of ink studios may be a bit more pricey but they are well worth it. Coming in all shapes and sizes and being made out of materials like silk or plastic helps give your card that *bling* factor that impresses so many with so little. Also it is a great way to strike up a conversation with some big wig who normally wouldn’t give you the time of day.
  6. The Completely Mobile Business Office – this is my number ONE secret for complete mobility and it has cost a fraction of what other businesses pay in rent. It holds all my documents, all my ideas and gives me unlimited connections with people all over the world, it’s my Macbook people and for $999 any aspiring business owner can afford one… if you are really serious about making money and launching your free wielding entrepreneurial journey that is.
  7. Evernote - an awesome space to organize your thoughts, ideas and notes. This truly is a gold mine of zaniness where you can spread out all the projects, notes and designs you are working on and get a better idea of the concept you are going for. Try it out and you’ll fall in love.

So hopefully those 7 killer tools will help you build a more mobile business, make more money online especially and get more organized and productive. If you have other tools you use that I left out please share them in the comments section since I am always looking for new ways to manage my business and life.

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  • http://www.buildthatlist.com/ Tom | Build That List

    Great list! I really want to get around to getting some really great business cards. Especially when my blog is really up and running and I am making a full-time income from it (because then when people ask me what I do for a job I can just whip out a business card and say 'check it out!' :D

  • http://jasonpmcgee.com/ Jason P McGee

    Hey thanks for these tips! I am going to try out Evernote. I need a better way to keep track of my ideas.

  • http://wageslaverebel.com/ J. D. Bentley

    This is a great list and I can highly recommend most of these. I've used everything on this list except for Teqpad. Not sure what I think of it yet, but it seems pretty decent. I'm glad you put Evernote on the list. I'm going to go download it right after this. I've been needing a way to organize random thoughts and I'd totally forgotten about Evernote. Thanks!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Exactly right?? I know :) I buy awesome business cards just to whip them out and please myself more than anything!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    It is REALLY helpful, other tool… moleskins and anything on an iPhone/PDA that keeps track of voice notes and translates them into text like Jott.com

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Yeah so far I like Teqpad but I need to see how 'right on' it is with metrics :) glad you liked the list!

  • http://www.thinkbigthinkmoney.com/ Ken Siew

    Wow I love the design of those business cards! I don't think I'd be concerned with biz cards yet but those cards rock and make people want to keep them. I use Evernote to capture ideas/screenshots. It's awesome especially for research/learning purposes.

    E.ggtimer rocks for productivity enhancement!

  • http://jamieontiveros.com/ Jamie Ontiveros

    Great list, but I'd love to talk about one of my favorite killer applications, Dropbox.

    The short: automatically sync and share files.

    The long: My partner lives in Calgary, and I'm in Denver. We're a virtual organization that shares all of our business documents via Dropbox. We can share entire folders to other Dropbox users, or individual files via URL to anyone. The audit log provides complete transparency of file modification from a Read/Write/Delete prospective.

    There's a free iPhone app that has a superb built in document viewer capable of reading the most popular file formats: PDF, Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and more. You can also “Favorite” individual files so that a local copy is saved to the phone/ipod touch.

    Can you tell that I absolutely love this app?

  • http://www.diary4life.com Paul

    Maren,

    This is a great list, thank you for sharing it. I'm going to come back and look further into each one of them. I certainly need to be using some of them at least. Even the Skype idea is so simple and looks like a must.

    Regards

    Paul

  • http://experimentsinpassiveincome.com/ Moon Hussain

    I've heard really good things about Basecamp, but haven't tried it…. Skype is something I”ll be experimenting with very, very soon.

  • http://www.wilsonusman.com/ Wilson Usman

    wow maren,
    You are making me look bad, I don't use but one of these (skype) I am glad you made this post though. I know I will need basecamp pretty soon for sure. Great list for entrepreneurs for sure. Thanks

  • http://andbreak.com/ Julius Kuhn-Regnier

    I am not using any of these services ;) I've heard about EverNote but have never really used it. And yeah a Mac would be nice to have, I actually wanted to get one. But than I realized that everyone had a Mac which didn't really make it as exiting to get one. I guess I am not going to buy one soon.
    But for the business cards. I thought of printing my own business cards too. They aren't really expensive and they can be really helpful.

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    I know I've been using it alot lately and being MUCH more productive :)

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Dropbox? I'll have to check it out, thanks Jamie for recommending it!!

  • http://www.mastermindblogger.com S Ahsan

    You have a great list out there! i will definitely have to steal some from you :) . E.ggtimer seems interesting, didnt see them before.

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Skype is amazing and so EASY to use, the interface is great :)

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    I've found basecamp takes a bit to get used to, but if you spend a few hours you can use it for life and scale it to fit whatever business you build.

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Thanks Wilson! Check them out, they are all SUPER easy to use (hence why i like them) and most of them are some version of free :)

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Yep, for $100 bucks it is worth it to have some killer business cards no matter what you do :)

  • http://daringclarity.com/ Lana {Daring Clarity}

    Hi Maren, first time on your blog, it is awesome! Evernote and rocking business cards are my favorites from the list, going to explore more. Thanks!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Thanks for coming by Lana :) Glad you liked it, keep me posted on the awesome business cards you get!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Been using it a lot lately and my productivity has gone through the roof, since you can set a time of what you want to do and then actually watch your progress.

  • http://www.diary4life.com Paul

    Maren,

    I've used Skype many times before, however its the extra bits you've mentioned I need to know more about.

    Regards

    Paul

  • http://andbreak.com/ Julius Kuhn-Regnier

    $100 bucks?! $100 for the design and you also get a certain number of business cards?! Is that how it works?
    Their designs really look great.

  • http://jeremyaragon.com/ Jeremy Aragon

    After stumbling upon this post I then found another that was very similar and complimentary since the only tool mentioned on both seems to be dropbox which I am personally unfamiliar with.

    http://vaynermedia.com/2010/03/5-ways-we-stay-o…

    I think anybody reading this blog regularly is in GREAT HANDS! Maren, your a rockstar my new friend!

  • stevescottsite

    Maren…Great list of tools here. This is perfect timing because I'm about to go on a 3 month trip traveling around Europe. One of my concerns is being able to get work done while I'm away. This list gave me a few ideas. (Though I'll never be converted the Mac cult)

  • ralphcarlson

    I have a few of those and have considered others but some are new to me. I really appreciate learning about these tools because it isn't easy to stumble upon them. I keep putting off skype but it is probably time to get on board.

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Thanks Jeremy :) I;m touched! I am hopping over to that post right now to read it!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    Three months! Lucky ducky :) Keep us posted on your adventures!

  • http://www.Escapingthe9to5.com/ Maren Kate

    It really is, and it is SOO easy, I used to be a tech-a-phobe but now I love all things nerdy and especially Skype for being so easy!

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  • http://www.socialrockstar.co.uk/ Brandon

    I've heard Rescue Time is really good. I think I'll be giving it a try soon.

  • http://www.socialrockstar.co.uk/ Brandon

    I've heard Rescue Time is really good. I think I'll be giving it a try soon.