When I started Human Business Works, there was never a question that it would be a virtual business. The name of the game is staying in contact with my team and working with deliverables in mind--not proximity.
Making it work requires a comprehensive set of useful tools. Here's what we've come up with as staples in running our virtual business.
Communication
- Google Apps. We use a hosted Google Apps solution for e-mail. It's been simple to manage, flawless in its operation and easy for new employees or contractors to adopt. We also use the calendar application.
- Skype. We use Skype for a de facto office phone. It's free and allows one to work hands-free while collaborating. I use Skype Credit to dial out to numbers in the traditional telephone network. It's much less expensive than using an office phone.
- Adium and Trillian. Instant messaging comes in lots of flavors. I chose an app that lets me use whatever system the other party chooses while keeping my interface the same. Whether using Adium for the Mac or Trillian for the PC, if you have a fast-paced collaboration project on the go, this is a huge help.
- Yammer. My other company, New Marketing Labs, uses Yammer as an internal version of Twitter. At HBW, we just use Twitter if the missive is something of the 140-character set. (We do use cell phones, too, but sparingly).
Collaboration
- Google Docs. We didn't bother buying office software. Google Docs works well for sharing information back and forth. I'm writing my next book with Julien Smith, my collaborator on Trust Agents, in Docs, and I also do financial projects with my COO, Rob Hatch, with Google's spreadsheet app. If you need an offline solution, OpenOffice has come a long way and works just as well.
- Linoit. This is a virtual cork board where your team can put up sticky notes. Since we're a smaller company, I don't need to know every line item in a Gantt chart. Notes in various colors help us stay on the same page.
- GoToMeeting and GoToWebinar. These guys are clients of my marketing company, so it makes sense that I should be a customer of theirs for my small business. I'm enjoying the use of these tools when sharing something that requires eyes on the same document or design.
- Evernote. We use Evernote for note-taking, each with our own account. (Dear Evernote, I'd love a group app, please).
- Dropbox. We pass files through Dropbox, which gives as much as 2GB of free storage.
At HBW, we went with a virtual office because it costs less, it keeps people closer to home and these tools ease any concerns on collaboration. Sure, we meet face to face at times, but that's the exception. I'd rather my team be more productive and have more family time than desk time.
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This article was originally published in the January 2011 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Virtually There.
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Comments:
I appreciate your speculation as it attracts people's attention and make this topic discussable.
@egoebelbecker: my thoughts on MavenLink and ManyMoon is that they both offer a free plan; MavenLink seems to offer more of a productive flow; for me this works because I would only being doing a few projects at a time anyway. I also came across SmartSheet that offers plans starting at $10/month. For net meetings I've noticed NetViewer; however, I would prefer no downloads/platform free for easy set up with employees and contractors to collaborate virtually.
Thanks for this list, the virtual office becomes a reality, at a recent workshop, someone told me "This is my workplace" showing his laptop, his mobile phone and his earphone... http://bit.ly/fi8m1V These tools will only emphasize this movement.
Chris, a great list for SMBs. I use many of your apps for exactly the same reason. Those desktop style apps are great for end users. However, these days SMB users are looking for self-service data center solutions as well. I would like to suggest that you try Skytap. Skytap enables SMBs to create and manage cloud virtual data centers without the cost and complexity of running their own. SMBs can check out Skytap for free at http://www.skytap.com/blogcomments .
Why waste money when there are great free apps!
For running applications beyond the typical office suite (either Google Docs or Office 365), what do people think about using virtual desktops in the Cloud? Why do you need physical desktop computers for a virtual office? If your Windows or Linux desktop is hosted in the Cloud, it can be access from anywhere.
Stacey......I have been using Skype for about 4 years and went through all the ups and downs. I can say with complete confidence that Skype is nothing like you probaly experienced it in the past.The video is upgraded and the sound quality is excellent. Also , no matter what you here it is still one of the most secure voice communications around. Of course you have the instant messaging and texting options. I pay $2.99 a month for unlimited calls out to anywhere in Canada and the U.S.A. If you want a Skype number to be called on it's a little more expensive. The great thing is your computer does'nt have to be on for it to forward calls to another phone and there is a smart phone that you can use with wifi or cellular. I have a wifi skype phone and it works great. Download the new version and give it another try.
Brilliant Stuff!! I willsurely try to use em when I start my own venture.. Not very long from now!! InshaALLAH (god willing) very soon!!
I'm waiting for Office365 to come out early 2011. It's Microsoft's cloud versions of Exchange (email), SharePoint (collaboration), Lync (conferencing / instant messaging) and Office Web Apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and One Note in the cloud)
great list! never heard of linoit before. We will have to use it here!
PC owners may want to try Pidgin instead of Trillian. I'm not a big fan of Trillian's latest version. Pidgin is not quite as nice as Adium for Mac (which I use at home), but it's a lot nicer than Trillian.
We used Basecamp and found it not well-suited to our needs. From there, we tried DeskAway and hated its stiffness. We are using ClientSpot this 2 seconds, but not loving the inflexible notification features. You either get a million emails or none. The notification feature attaches to client, not project. So, we are shopping again. I'll look at MavenLink and ManyMoon in addition to TeamWork PM and activeCollab. Our favorite software, by far, is FreshBooks for estimates, invoicing, and receipt of payment (via Google Checkout). We also love Solve360 for CRM.
We use SmartSheet for project tracking and collaboration with our people, clients and suppliers. Also love Evernote!
Is Basecamp really the best thing out there? I'm looking for a project management tool, and Basecamp doesn't look like it's changed a whole lot since the last time I looked. (And I understand they are very proud of that fact - good for them! The Emperor was proud of his suit too.) But has anyone used any other tools? Any thoughts on MavenLink or ManyMoon?
Great review of the virtual toolset. This is a trend to watch, remote work is and will continue to be on the rise as Americans get tired of long commutes and high oil prices, and companies see the cost savings and productivity gains. www.remoteworkerdaily.com
Though all of our staff works on site, we are a paperless office. We use our own document management application, eBridge Solutions, and find it useful when our salespeople travel or our accountant needs a document quickly. Thanks for the great article!
Fantastic list. We use quite a bit of these in our business and it helps tremendously.
Users may want to try HyperOffice. It integrated email, document sharing and web conferencing. Pankaj http://www.hyperoffice.com
Great list @ChrisBrogan. I always like to check myself against the master. We, at Kaleidico, look very much like this. We add Basecamp to the mix and swap Glance for GoToMeeting.
For some "Virtual" is the new "traditional" and for others it still requires a paradigm shift. I say that with some level of authority as I am the co-founder of Office Divvy ™ --where we provide co-location facilities (virtual offices, office hoteling, and coworking) and outsourced operations to Startups, Entrepreneurs, and Small Business Owners. Chris is right on the money here. Humbly, I would add to his list one more tool: Basecamp, which is the Mac Daddy of Collaboration and Project Management --though expect a $30 to $50/m subscription fee. It's perfect if you have multiple projects where multiple internal and external team members, clients, vendors are involved. And lastly, it obviously is not a communication or collaboration tool, but any entrepreneur and business needs a good accounting system: The Quickbooks online has proven to be very reliable, flexible, and affordable. Wishing 2011 to truly be the year of Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship!
Basecamp is pretty useful too.
Enjoyed your list of collaboration tools you use and many of these are valuable for small business owners that hire people who telecommute and need to stay connected and sharing information. I enjoy the Google App tools as well and with Google Docs adding revisioning tools in the latest release it makes it more user friendly. For my own home office I wound up using a MagicJack (honestly) and paying nothing to call any local/long distance calls, this was cheaper than even using Skype to call land lines since there is just the low annual cost.
Great resources here! Drop Box is absolutely amazing and I'm surprised at how many people are not aware of it yet. This article should really help it get some exposure :) I've never heard of Yammer but going to check it out. It sounds both interesting and delicious
Hi Chris, I am going to try out Skype again in the new year. I have used it in the past but had challenges but I have heard it has come a long way. Do you use Skype Video at all? I am currently using Gmail, Google Calendar. Right now I only use Google Docs for collaboration but when I buy my next computer will use it exclusively. I am also using Basecamp for project management and Infusionsoft for my CRM and online database. Thanks for sharing the other tools I am going to check out the others that I am not currently using.
thankyou 4 this!
Thank you for the fabulous list @ChrisBrogan! Very comprehensive with the basics you need to get business growing. All of these things work well to run things as a busy entrepreneur family as well. I use google docs & calendar to share things with my 3 entrepreneur kids and my husband. We also use Skype and Dropbox. Looking forward to trying out the other things!