One of the challenges of starting a private counseling business (or any small business) is figuring out how you’ll handle things that come with being a small business owner, like:
How will you accept credit cards?
How will you handle bookkeeping?
How will you keep track of customer contacts and files?
How will you manage projects with your customers?
How will you generate invoices?
How will you track time if you bill hours?
Will you give customers a way to pay online?
There might be a way for you to handle all of that, and more, with one service.
17hats is web-based software for “businesses of one.” They say their software is specifically designed to be simple enough for one person to use, and their plans, which start at $13 per month, seem reasonable.
I’m not a customer, as Collegewise is probably too large to use them, and we already have our own tools in place that are working well for us. But Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp and a business thought leader I really admire, mentioned in his twitter feed that the 17hats offering had really impressed him. I checked out their website and can say that I would have considered using it when I started Collegewise, especially given that there’s a free trial period, the price is guaranteed to you forever once you enroll, and you can cancel at any time.
Here’s the site if you’d like to give them a look.