SmallBizResource Blog -- SmallBizResource

Whadda Deal: An Organized Mish-Mash Of Small-Biz Bargains

Posted by Gayle Kesten Monday, Nov 17, 2008, 11:47 AM ET

A penny saved is a penny earned. Apparently the bigwigs on Wall Street never took Benjamin Franklin's wise words to heart the way small businesses do...and have all along.

However, there are some things I don't want to save -- namely, the following "specials" that have been piling in my inbox, all of which promise to save you a few bucks.

1. American small businesses are $58 billion behind on their payroll taxes, reports Intuit, whose Online Payroll service is designed to set up and manage your payroll system. That includes paying your employees (calculating earnings, taxes, and deductions); calculating and paying your payroll taxes (federal/state, with deadlines reminders and the option to pay electronically), and filing your tax forms (ditto). The incentive, should you choose to accept it: New customers who sign up from now to Feb. 1, 2009, get their first three months free, then pay $9.95 per month thereafter -- a 66% savings over the regular $29.95 per month fee and with no penalty if you cancel, according to the company.

2. Earlier this month Microsoft rolled out BizSpark, which offers discounted hosting services provided by a network of more than 20 Microsoft hosting provider partners to new companies that want to take their business online. BizSpark is free to join, but as ChannelWeb's Michele Masterson points out: "In the fine print on its Web site, Microsoft said that "as a demonstration of Microsoft's commitment to start-up success, a program fee of $100 is payable on exit from the program rather than up front when joining."

3. If you need machinery or equipment for your business but can't afford to buy new, small-business guru and author Barbara Weltman today gives a shout out to the Used Equipment Network. The service is free for buyers. More than four dozen categories of products include AV equipment, computer and peripherals, construction, lab equipment, office, and recycling/scrap and waste.

4. Who doesn't love the convenience of buying online? Who doesn't hate paying for shipping? FreeShipping.org, founded by husband and wife team Luke and Maisie Knowles, helps you locate free shipping deals from more than 850 online retailers, including leading computer makers, software suppliers, electronics merchants. (For some other ship-n-save sites, also check out PC World's recent compilation.)

5. Along the same lines, I've heard from CouponChief.com, which provides access to thousands of online store coupons and discount codes and can be used by small business owners to reduce their expenses on a variety business needs. And its new Pays-2-Share program pays you for finding and sharing coupons that are used by fellow consumers (2% of total price). Another coupon Web site to know about: RetailMeNot.com and its new sister site, BeatMyPrice.com, a people-powered search engine that scours millions of prices on the Internet to find the best discounts.

6. A few weeks ago VistaPrint sent me an e-mail reminding me of some items I left in my e-shopping cart. Why don't more e-commerce sites do that? That question got me thinking about all those abandoned online purchases, which led me to this article highlighting 14 free tools that can help you figure out why people are bolting before buying.

Any bargains of your own to share? Please let us know in the Comments field below (and PLEASE, I beg you, not my already-overflowing e-mail account).

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