While my company may have a very specific list of services… website design, programming, hosting and domain registration… for many of my clients, I am the only person they know who uses a computer more than just to send an email and browse the web. I frequently get phone calls from people asking me technical support related questions, and sometimes even general “how to” questions.

Because a large part of my client base is made up of start-up businesses and individuals looking to get their product out there, I get a lot of questions from people regarding how to set up their business. You’re thinking “But wait, that has nothing to do with websites.” I know it doesn’t, but I get calls like this on a weekly basis, mostly because they don’t know who else to ask or where to turn.

I have successfully managed my own business for five years now, and I have done so without paying a dime for any sort of business management software. So here’s a list of my favorite FREE programs that can aid you in successfully running your business… and believe me I’ve tried them all:

1. Quickbooks Simple Start – Yes, I said Quickbooks. There is a free version of Quickbooks software called Simple Start. Its purpose is to help you manage your books while you are small, hoping you will grow and need to get the not-so-free version. Simple Start lets you do invoicing, set up customer accounts, track expenses, just about everything you need to get started. It does not allow you to hook into your bank account, print checks, etc., however I’ve used Simple Start for 5 years and have never needed any of those features just because of the nature of my business.

Try it here: http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/accounting-software/free-accounting-software.jsp

2. Task Coach – If you need task/project management software, this is a great one. It lets you set up main tasks and sub-tasks. You can track the time you spend on them, mark them complete, sort tasks by order of importance, and much more. I use this software every day to keep track of the time I spend on all of my website design projects. There is also an iPhone application that lets you track your tasks while on the go and then sync with your computer.

Try it here: http://www.taskcoach.org/

3. Thunderbird – Now I know Microsoft Outlook Express (or whatever they’re calling it now) comes free on PC’s running Windows, however I’m not a fan. Its difficult to navigate, its buggy, and the biggest complaint I get from my clients is that it doesn’t let you organize your email addresses very well. I use Thunderbird for my email client, its from Mozilla (the people that make Firefox), you can download a ton of plugins and add-ons to make your life easier and to help you manage your emails in a way that suits you, you can keep your email addresses separate, and create separate folders for different clients if you like to keep things organized. Its my favorite email client of all the ones I’ve tried.

Try it here: http://www.mozillamessaging.com/en-US/thunderbird/

4. Lightning – Lightning is a calendar plugin for thunderbird. It adds a full calendar right into your Thunderbird email client. It lets you color code events such as meetings, appointments, birthdays, holidays, etc. Its very easy to use, and its built right into your email client so you don’t have to run two different applications for your email and calendar.

Try it here: http://www.mozilla.org/projects/calendar/lightning/

5. Open Office – Now everyone knows one of the first pieces of software you need to buy when you start a business is Microsoft Office right? Not anymore. Open Office is a bundle of programs that work just like the Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint). It allows you to open and/or save as Microsoft Office document formats which means you won’t have any compatibility issues with people who are using Microsoft Office.

Try it here: http://www.openoffice.org/

This list should get you started with most of the major software you will need to get your business started. Always remember, before you dish out your money, use Google to search for free alternatives. You would be surprised at what is out there!

P.S. Websites By Kristen is in no way affiliated with the companies or software mentioned above and is not responsible for any issues you have if you choose to use any of these products. Use at your own risk!