The VAR Guy

Here’s a situation that may sound familiar to many small-business entrepreneurs. A very bright woman, let’s call her Betsy, has a business providing training to middle managers, and her client has been the HR department. Now, with the economy in recession, her pipeline is not as full as it once was. Training budgets–at least for middle-level employees—are being slashed. Betsy feels nervous about the future of her business. If this trend continues, she will have difficulty making ends meet. Here’s how she plans to change course.

If you are thinking of leaving your corporate job to start a business, nothing is more important than having Reserves. I am talking about a great big virtual warehouse filled with tangible and intangible items. If you don’t have them when you start your business, your engine will soon fail.

Are you ready — and qualified — to launch your own business? Before you quit your day job, check in with Mitch York, an executive coach who helps corporate employees become successful business owners. York offers some practical tips and some reality checks to would-be entrepreneurs in a MSPmentor Live: Podcast for May 1, posted on our sister site.

So, you’re about to launch a business. Or perhaps you’re a solutions provider that’s helping an entrepreneur to get a business off the ground. Here are seven IT tools The VAR Guy would recommend for that fledgling business.