Blellow burst onto the scene a few months ago, and after winning a few awards paired with an explosive launch at SXSW, the social networking site is experiencing explosive growth. For any self starters, entrepreneur, freelancer, or contract worker, this network has been the hub for meeting new people, finding job leads, and joining project teams seeking specific talents. Companies are welcome to also post their job listings for a reduced nominal fee to attract some highly talented professionals.
The unique name is an extension of its unique community. Putting together some of the best aspects of popular social networking sites, it fosters creativity, innovation, and looks to be the dominant force in finding work for the self starters around the world. While Elance and Odesk serve as bidding job boards, Blellow looks to use its extensive network to rely on recommendations and friendly introductions to new people to pair people with the right project.
If you’re looking to expand your contacts, find unique job postings, and converse with people in a specific industry or topic, then Blellow is the place to network!
Why Did I Start VOIS? Why Did We Launch The First Social Sourcing Site Now?
There are a lot of bad websites out there. A lot.
Websites with 8-bit graphics seemingly ripped from Atari games, with laughable copy errors that immediately diminish credibility, and with such awful usability that you need a Dr. Phil intervention to calm down after surfing through the third-rate portals.
This is one reason I co-founded VOIS.com (pronounced VOICE), or Virtual Outsourcing is Social. Not only can VOIS’ collaborative approach to completing projects produce superior results – from slickly branded and intuitive websites to fun, traffic-churning widgets – but it can also make it more affordable for businesses.
Don’t get me wrong; this is not the business owners’ faults. As a blogger for a major food website, I can say first hand that these are good people with the best of intentions. But just because someone knows how to make donuts, pizza or surfboards, it doesn’t mean they should know how to create a compelling online storefront. And hiring expensive firms on retainer often isn’t a workable business model for small and medium-sized businesses, or even larger firms that don’t have the bandwidth to handle their current business needs.
That’s why VOIS seeks to connect clients with expert Web professionals – from designers to developers and copywriters – to work on a project basis. What separates us from other business match-making platforms is that we allow and encourage the clients and talent to get to know each other first by exploring robust online profiles and messaging back and forth.
Click-and-mortar, web-driven start-ups have also had to change their game plan, and VOIS was developed for these businesses, too. With start-up capital tougher and tougher to attract, it’s no longer feasible for someone to hire developer and a CTO, build an infrastructure from scratch, then roll out and ramp up a product. I’ve met many people who 
have burned through $500,000 before looking at a more cost-efficient way of doing things.
And I really feel VOIS is that new way of doing things. We’re keeping VOIS wide open in terms of the scope of projects we accommodate – no niche focus or specialized tunnel vision. This will help us attract more users and offer truly turnkey solutions for our users.
So as the VOIS community grows, fueled by this added interpersonal dimension, I look forward at seeing some truly amazing work forged through the power of online collaboration. In other words, no more bad websites, or half-completed start-ups that could have been the next big thing.
In fact, I think VOIS is the next big thing.
Marketing material costs for freelancers and new businesses can be an expensive investment for start-ups with little money. Sure it’s said “to make money you have to spend money,” but what if you didn’t have to spend a dime?
Do I have your attention yet? If you’re looking for a “quick and dirty” way to get yourself off the ground and utilize the full capability of print work to market your talents, look no further then BrandDoozie. This web-based design application puts the creative tools in your hands. You can design postcards, business cards, letterhead, and other important documents with clicks and drag-n-drops.
The only downside is the limited flexibility of the application, but the service is free, so the concern is moot. The ease of use and quick return make it possible for you to have marketing material in a matter of hours as opposed to weeks. Sure you’re going to sacrifice some of the self creative ideas you might have, but for a freelancer such as myself, I was able to create collateral the same day as a major networking event.
The interface is easy to use, and users are walked through step by step in the creative process. You can save your work mid-project, and even store your completed files in folders. Options to establish your brand, designing a logo, and accessing stock photos are all apart of the experience working within BrandDoozie.
It’s definitely worth jump starting your company’s image with this amazing brand establishing tool. If you need something in a flash, direct yourself to BrandDoozie and get yourself noticed!
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Working as a freelancer or running your own business with a fired up entrepreneurial spirit can be difficult when it comes to tracking your time and income on multiple projects. One of two things will happen eventually. You will either limit yourself in terms of projects and make just enough money to keep track of or you’ll end up losing money due to inability to properly and effectively keep track of your invoicing. Neither are suitable outcomes for someone starting out on their own.
To avoid such pitfalls, we have discovered a web application that is user friendly and informative, that application is Invotrak by Draconis Software. As a freelance writer I was able to utilize the software for an experiment in keeping track of my personal invoicing and time tracking needs, and I found this application to stand heads and shoulders above the others that I have used.
The Practical
Getting paid on time is important right? Correct invoicing is vital for the integrity and success of your business, so why complicate things any more than they should. Invotrak is a web-based invoice application that was specifically made with freelancers and small businesses in mind. In their words it’s difficult enough to work with clients and do the actual work that invoicing should be as simple as possible without having to hire someone else to do it.
When you sign up for an account, you are taken through several easy steps to get you started. Once on their home interface, you will notice that the smooth and easy to follow design is intuitive. There is no confusion in the labeling system so tabs are easy to find and easy to click. Again, why should invoicing be so difficult, Invotrak wants to make sure their application is as easy to use as possible.
The application does have a FREE option, but there is also a tiered pay structure ranging from as low as $9/mo to as high as $45/mo, depending on your needs.
The Features
Invotrak is full of features which make this free web application one of the more robust around.
- Invoicing – naturally the strong point of this application meant to keep track of all your clients and monies
- Client Database – keep track of everyone that you work with and never forget a name
- Timesheets – very important to keep track of time spent on projects to accurately invoice your client
- Create/Upload Invoices – have an invoice in a different format, no worries, the ability to upload ensures that you don’t have files laying around different programs.
- Reports – keep track of how your business does monthy, quarterly and yearly
These are just a few of the features that are made available to you. Here is a more comprehensive list of the features Invotrak offers.
The Analysis
Invotrak is a heavy hitter in the invoicing market. Rarely have I seen a web application so well put together. My only concern is their hierarchy. In the Free category you are only offered the ability to have up to 2 invoices a month and don’t get an unlimited number of invoices until you pay into the $45/mo plan. Seems like they’re selling the FREE aspect a little short for businesses that want to try the application for the first time. I believe the whole hierarchy is a little lopsided, but with over $3 million US dollars being tracked across Invotraks database, what do I know? Apparently freelancers and businsess worldwide are happy with it.
I highly recommend you give Invotrak a try and follow them on their blog.
