Running a business is complicated – and expensive. So it’s nice to know that sometimes you can get ‘big bucks’ quality for a low price – or even free. Here’s a list of programs I use day in, day out – and you might want to check out as well:

Ad Manager – phpAdsNew is a great Open Source (and free) program for managing advertising. Rather than the simple rotator scripts you see around, this is a professional quality program for setting up customer ad campaigns, allowing them to log in and view results. I use it to display banners on all my sites.

Internet Protection – If you’re on the Internet, I recommend a firewall (like a LinkSys Cable Router box) to protect from outsiders trying to get in. However, that won’t stop programs running on your computer from ‘reaching out’. A free program like ZoneAlarm allows you to choose what goes out – and when.

AutoResponder – Email Go-Getter System (EGGS!) is a nice autoresponder script. It’s low cost (donation-ware) but a great way to get a high-quality mail tool on your site. I use it for all my sign-up forms.

Blog software – WordPress is my preferred blog tool of choice – popular, actively supported, customizable, and easy to use. If you’re looking to put a blog on a website or two, it’s a great choice.

Office Software (Word Processor, Spreadsheet, etc) – I have Microsoft Office, but I don’t use it. OpenOffice does what I want, and it’s compatible with MS Office (one exception I’ve found – spreadsheet passwords). I recommend it as a great way to learn Office tools, while keeping costs low.

This just scratches the surface of the tools out there, but quality software like this will help out a lot – letting you provide ‘Big Biz’ results – on a ‘Small Biz’ budget!