Helpful Templates For Harried Entrepreneurs

We sometimes forget that we don't have to re-invent the wheel. We are not unique, either. Others have had our problems before us.

There are often free versions available of the things we need. For example, templates. Why make your own spreadsheet when someone has already made a similar one and in offering it online right now?

Here is a list of places to go truffle-hunting:

https://templates.office.com/

Ah, lovely Microsoft. So keen to embrace new ideas and warp them to their own agenda. It seems you can't get their old standalone files so easily any more. 'Tis all cloud-based-online-browser-integrated slickness, now. Which is dandy, until you don't have an internet connection but you do need to cobble together a Powerpoint presentation in a hurry. Welcome to the 21st century. Just save to your PC as you go along, in case of Armageddon.

See also: https://drive.google.com/templates

 



https://www.scribd.com/

An abode of every kind of free document, including templates.

http://www.stocklayouts.com/Templates/Free-Templates/Free-Sample-Templates.aspx

Some smart looking stuff here. You have to sign up to get the freebies, but they come in various file formats and overall, look decent.

Small businesses can spend a lot of money getting custom documents made up, getting them printed, then realising the phone-number needs to be changed. Using templates when you're just starting out, and feeling your way, saves having to plead with Jennifer to get the doc done by 4pm, when she's on the outs with her boyfriend and it's somehow your fault.



http://www.spreadsheet123.com/ExcelTemplates/index.html

Reasonably nice vanilla business templates. Some usable stuff. Saves having to invent standard office stationery out of your own head.

See also:
http://www.tidyforms.com http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/

Website Templates: An Opinion.

Ohh, this is a tricky one. Here's the skinny: the free ones tend not to be so good, and so are the ones you pay money for!

I can only think of one site which offers free, professional, easy to install Wordpress templates, and it has tricksy footer-links in it which you can't remove yourself. And the software they sell you to remove said links might not do it either!

So near, and yet so far.

Fair does, web design is complicated stuff, I don't care what anyone says. So if you've got something that looks smart out of the box, you want to get something back for it. Still, you just want the darn thing ... to ... work!

Alas, you'll need a designer to get a semi-decent website going, unless you use an online provider like Wix, and they are not great for SEO purposes.

Free templates for Open Cart and Magento are ... all pretty hopeless, unless you are a coder yourself and are prepared to spend a lot of time customising the software.

It's cheaper just to hire a geek to install something he's installed before. He can show you working examples of what he's confected previously i.e. "Here is my portfolio, sir, and you may call these numbers for references".

And if he can't, move on.