Moreover, we’re take pride in what we’ve accomplished and as a result tend to also be somewhat control freaks.

But there’s something that are just worth paying for – at least once. Bringing in a new perspective and a new approach helps keep things fresh.

Work in trade or pay cash outright, it’s worth doing for each of these sections at least once.

1) Great Photography
I own a Canon rebel. I’ve shot a few product shots for my website. But I’ve never ever matched the quality of the pros. I’ve had product shots done by both Lithium Picnic and Lavonne Images (like the stunning image of amazing comic book artist Fiona Staples as above).

Most of us can take a good picture – but amazing product shots can turn a tide. A great photograph can sell product like mad, and sometimes it’s worth the splurge.

Moreover, I have photos I wouldn’t hesitate running in a magazine ad like Gothic Beauty or Coilhouse. It’s hard to do that on your own. Great photos are an asset.

2) Website Design
In 2005 I paid a girl by the name of malloreigh to redesign my website. I gave her carte blanche and when it was almost done she sent me an email with one simple sentence; “How do you feel about yellow?”

I now have a visual brand nobody else in my industry has.

It’s so easy to build a website on our own nowadays, but that just means the level for great design has also stepped up. Great designers aren’t hard to find and if we could do what they do, they’d be out of work. Simply put, a great looking website is definately worth the investment.

3) Accounting
I keep meticulous records. But come tax time for my business, I take all those meticulously kept records and I hand them over to a proper accountant. Why? Because I’m not one. I don’t ever want to be stuck with the short leash stating that I failed to pay my taxes properly. That’s actually a criminal offense where I am.

Moreover, it’d take me HOURS – instead, I take a break, drive over my reciepts and let them handle it. What’s it worth to you to have the time to focus on the parts of your business you can actually do well, rather than taxes?

4) Your own webspace
Yes, your ISP offers you free hosting. Sure, etsy lets you run your business on their site. But both those things detract from your brand – everything about the customer experience – from your URL to the visual design of your site needs to be about your business – that’s how long lasting brands are built.

Here’s a easy rule – when what you sell in an average week exceeds the cost of the domain and webhosting of a year (which online is about 6-10 dollars a month), you’re ready to invest in your own webspace.

5) A Paypal account
When you first start out, it’s hard to justify accepting online payments. People can send money orders and cash – and let’s face it, when you’re small potatoes, it’s fine.

But you want to start doing volume sales, you NEED a Paypal account.

When I first got a Paypal account, they were an upstart that people found sketchy and were suspicious about. Now, they’re backed by eBay and trusted as a safe, reliable way to send money online. While people who are new to the internet may not know who Paypal is and how reliable they are, the savvy online shopper as a well-used Paypal account and those are the people you want to sell to.

Sure, they charge fees, but they’re nominal and can be written off as a business expense. And the fees you pay help cover you in the case of illegitimate charge backs.

(And yes, I know I listed Paypal as a cheap/free must-have in one of my inaugural posts, but Paypal is free if you’re small potatoes or just starting out. If you’re starting to have an established customer base, or want to immediately to be recognized as a business, the business/premier account, with the fees, is the way to go.)

6) Advertising
The point of the majority of advertising isn’t to sell product, it’s to establish a brand. Targeted ads where your buyers are can really help establish you in the mind of your customer, such that if they do look for a product you make, they may look to your first or Google it and recognize you.

The pitfall of advertising is that nowadays we’re bombarded by it that we’ve now begun to filter and ignore it, particularly on the sites we frequent the most (like Facebook).

Advertising the the last thing on this list I’d suggest you try, but if the price is right, it can reward you many times over.
(As an aside, never, EVER buy Google Adwords. They do nothing for your brand – as a small business, there are so very many other places that are leagues better.)

Next Tuesday: How Your Network Connections can Help You (A Personal Story)

2. Ownership of your domain name – Between $5-$10
Even if you’re not going to use it right away, it’s always good to own it first. With that said, if you’re doing some sales already, it may be worthwhile to splurge the extra 5-10 bucks per month for hosting and run your business from your own website. There’s a couple reasons for it, SEO (Search Engine Optimizaiton) being one of them – but that’s a post onto itself.

3. Gimp or Picasa - Free
If you’re selling crafts, you’re using pictures to sell your product (otherwise you’re not selling at all). Photo manipulation software is a must – you’ll probably be resizing, possibly adding watermarks and most absolutely be cropping. Picasa is more basic, where Gimp allows for more advanced manipulation.

4. Ownership of your name everywhere – Free
Here’s something that only requires some basic sweat equity. Register your business name everywhere. Youtube, Etsy, eBay, Twitter, Facebook and keep going as new technologies pop up. You don’t have to use it, but it’s always good to have it in case you do.

5. Open Office or Google Documents- Free
Not everyone has access to a basic suite of office software, and let’s face it Microsoft’s Office can be pretty pricey. You don’t need accounting software – a basic spreadsheet will cover your accounting needs for a good while, and you can create invoices in a word processor pretty easy. Open Office is great if you work from one particular computer, and Google is the choice if you use shared workstations to run your business.

6. Google Analytics – Free
By installing Analytics to your site, you get the best information about who is visiting your site, where they are coming from, what browser they are using and so forth. While there is a hard sell to buy Google Adwords (don’t!) the tool is free and quite worthwhile.

7. Membership within a crafting community – Free
Whether it’s on Instructables.com or your own niche web community (like my beloved Hair Extension Forum) being an active part of a community helps in a number of ways. First, it helps develop your own skills – the sharing of information is just priceless for a developing crafter. Second, it helps establish you as a knowledgeable source. Being an active part of a community helps establish your business’ brand, gives you fantastic contacts within that industry and give you a place to consult with great, knowledgeable people who will tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want to hear.

8. A feed to Seth Godin’s blog – Free
Most young entrepreneurs don’t know who the heck Seth Godin is – but every internet startup CEO, marketing guru and media consult does. And you should too. His blog posts are very short and to the point, but his message is always valuable. Don’t believe me? Watch his “This is Broken” video – I guarantee you’ll learn something about customer service.

9. A Content Management System (like Wordpress)- Free
This site is run on Wordpress. My 65 year old mother also runs a site on Wordpress. Back when I first started, my website was hand coded in Notepad. Updates were painful and slow. If you’re already running a site, try Wordpress out – you’ll be surprised how easy it is to install and use.

10. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield – $9.97 on Amazon
I changed the way I approached my business after reading this book. It’s short but very powerful – the message is that if we want to be serious about making art and making a living making art, we must become the Professional and goes point by point on how to do so.

Leave me a comment! Do you use any of the above? Is there anything you think I’m missing (10 is a really limiting number, and I honestly could have written about 100!) Let me know!

Next Tuesday: Why Youth is On Your Side – Part 1

*Note: All the links I have placed in this post are not affiliate links – I do not profit on any of them one iota. I simply recommend them because I think they’re all just fantastic and I personally support them. ]]> http://morethanlemonade.com/2009/09/10/10-essential-business-must-haves-under-10-00/feed/ 1