3 Tech Moves for the New Entrepreneur

When starting a business, there are many decisions to make: how to market, who to hire, and how to fund the new venture are just a few. When getting your company up and running, also spend time thinking about how to use technology to your advantage. Here are three tech moves you should be making now.

1. Create an Internet presence. Make sure your potential customers can reach you 24/7. These days it can take many forms: a company web site, a Facebook page, a blog, a Google Places page and more. Examine your target market to determine where on the Internet you should be. At the least, develop a one-page site with your products or services and contact info.

2. Get a merchant account. Even if you run a brick-and-mortar business, being able to take credit cards is important. Only accepting cash limits the customers you can serve. You may have a couple of eager buyers ready to check out, but they cannot complete the transaction because you don’t accept credit cards. Many customers would rather not purchase than have to leave the store, find an ATM and then come back. Adding a merchant account from a vendor through BetterMerchantAccounts can also help transform your static web site into a fully functioning online store.

3. Back-up your files. Invest in a good external hard drive, or use an online back-up system. It can be disastrous if you lose important  files or programs and don’t have copies readily available. Make sure you include passwords in those back-ups as well. Consider printing a hard copy and storing it in a safe place.