Bootstrapper's Primer: Hold the phone

Filed in archive Bootstrapper Tips on March 31, 2007

When it comes to dealing with the outside world, the bootstrap entrepreneur could use a flair for the dramatic to appear larger than they are.

Aurora Pucciarello of Max Distribution put customers on hold and answered in different voices for different departments to create the illusion of a larger, more well established company.

(Read Pucciarello and other bootstrapper's approaches to handling incoming customer calls at Inc. com.)

By contrast, bootstrap entrepreneur and blogger Pelle Braendgaard argues for taking pride in the smallness of your start-up instead of trying to appear bigger than you are, something that might work better in some businesses than in others.

To save money, RightNow Technologies founder Greg Gianforte bought separate lines and 800 numbers for each member of his sales staff at $30 a pop rather than spending thousands on a phone system.

I've told the story before on this site of trying to establish a local community newspaper and discovering that a phone system alone might cost between $6,000 and $8,000.

When choosing how to deal with communications for your start-up remember it is more important to have a service you need than to have the best money can buy.

Two systems we have profiled on this site offer many of the functions of more expensive phone systems at a fraction of the cost:

• GotVMail uses a software-based system with any existing phone to allow up to 20 voice mailboxes and transferring of calls to other members of you team no matter where they are

• ConnectMe Mobile lets you take advantage of PBX features, mobile and web access, follow me feature, even a personal fax system, all from your smartphone.

For more on hi-tech communications options, be sure to check out Rico Mossesgeld's "The Smart PDA" and "The Gadgets Weblog" both on the Creative Weblogging network.