Meeting the Needs of Small Businesses
We released our ground mail service today. Someone bought 100 stamps within the first 90 seconds. That’s a nice validation.
The real story with our release today is this: countless businesses that are STUCK in the old/offline world and trying to get to the web so they can leverage the benefits of the internet (cost savings, streamlined processes, improved client relations). Not many services are really assisting them with the transition, nor are many Web 2.0 services helping to facilitate traditional offline activities (Flickr offering to print and send photo albums is a nice example of someone who is doing this). I think there is a huge market and a huge need for services that help bridge this gap and do not simply turn their back on those users that need some aspect of their experience to be an offline experience.
Our ground mail offering is a nice example of where things are heading, and how companies like FreshBooks are empowering individuals and small businesses with tools that those individuals and small businesses could not otherwise afford to possess…more services will do similar things in the coming months and years, and I am delighted about this fact.
Marshall TechCrunched us here:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2006/08/23/freshbooks-pushes-the-envelope-in-online-billing/
Copyright © 2000-2009
11:57 am
[...] This whole conversation was sparked by FreshBooks recent release of its transitional ground mail service. The solution FreshBooks is selling is to help business transition their invoicing/receivables process online where significant benefits can be realized (streamlined processes, reduce costs, and improved customer relations). Businesses want to get online, but there is a world of pain awaiting them in the transition phase (“How do we build the service we need?”) and straddling phases (“How do we manage our cash flow when half our clients pay us online and half pay us offline?”) [...]
12:19 pm
How long will the promotional price tag stick for the stamps? I’m thinking of getting some even though my clients are satisfied with emails for now. I’m looking ahead in case a client does want to receive their invoices by ground mail. I’ll prolly take advantage of this anyhow. Regards,
1:25 pm
To Be Determined. It’s probably a good idea to buy stamps now though…