Starting a business can be a daunting proposition. Designing the perfect logo is important to establishing a company brand, doing all the paperwork and going through the steps of incorporation can be exhausting and costly, and setting up effective ways to communicate with customers and co-workers is critical to project management. Online services such as Logoworks, BizFilings, and AIM Pro are making those tasks easier for new business owners.
Logoworks Image Is Everything
When Morgan Lynch was the marketing director of a software company, all he wanted was an inexpensive and simple logo. As basic as the idea was, it soon became apparent that cheap, simple, and logo were incompatible concepts.
Two years later, Lynch decided to streamline the logo design system himself. His company would target small business owners who would use the Internet to quicken the logo-design process. Thus, Logoworks was born.
To get started, clients contact Logoworks online or by phone (www.logoworks.com; 800-210-7650) and answer general questions about their company and business goals. Depending on the package the client chooses, two or more designers will each provide a logo design. The client then chooses a logo and has the design revised to his satisfaction.
Logoworks’ packages range from silver, which includes two designers and two revision cycles for $299, to the startup package, which offers three designers, unlimited revision cycles, stationery and Website design, and 250 free business cards for $1,499.
BizFilings Streamlining the Paperwork
BizFilings (www.bizfilings.com) is an Internet-based incorporation provider, serving more than 150,000 companies. While hiring a lawyer to incorporate a business could cost upward of $1,000, BizFilings helps clients form corporations, L.L.C.s, and nonprofits for as little as $99. The cost and time frame depend on the state, but the process can be completed overnight in some states, or in up to six weeks in others.
By using BizFilings’ online Incorporation Assistant, customers answer 35 questions and receive rankings of different options and a side-by-side comparison. The program will also explain the state taxes, based on where the business is located.
AIM Pro More Than Messages
Do you need a better way to prioritize and organize your daily tasks? Designed for the busy professional, AIM Pro has a built-in connection to Microsoft Outlook allowing you to send e-mail from your business account, schedule meetings, and much more.
An expanded file transfer feature allows you to send a single file in any format, a folder, or your entire desktop, also with the click of a button. Along with your regular conversation, instant messages also feature tabs for voice and video conferencing (www.aol.com/aimpro).