If you’re starting up a business from scratch, luckily there are now more ways than ever before of saving money in the process. One of the biggest tools for any entrepreneur is technology; so whether you’re still working on an idea, or are on the cusp of making a massive investment – here are some basic internet-based solutions to help you stick to that all-important budget.

1. Consider Online Alternatives

Whatever category your business falls into, an effective marketing strategy will be vital to getting things off the ground. At its most basic level this can include anything from business cards to letterheads and even email signatures – whatever can help to effectively promote your brand and its message.  So instead of choosing a traditional design agency or printing company, consider going down the online route. With many websites allowing you to design your own logo, low-cost business cards can be easily obtained. It doesn’t mean you’ll have to sacrifice on quality either – a lot of companies can offer a perfectly decent service without the additional cost.

1. Use Money Saving Apps

For a lot of start-up businesses, it can be far too easy to spend money without even realising it. If you need to demonstrate tighter control over your finances – with lots of free apps geared around helping you control your outgoings, you don’t need to hire someone to do it for you – simply utilise the smartphone in your pocket! With apps like iXpensit or websites like Mint.com, you can take total control over your outgoings and help limit unnecessary purchases or confusing bank statements.

1. Delay Moving to an Office

Although Yahoo recently banned its employees from working at home, this doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. For start-up businesses, putting off moving into an office can really work in your favour. If you have all the technology you need at home, why waste money on office supplies, rent and utility bills until you really have to? In the meantime, simply disprove Yahoo’s theory by avoiding the lure of daytime television…

1. Search for Discount Deals

If you are based in an office already, there are lots of ways to save money on basic essentials as well as big technology. If you’re often in need of images, check out popular websites like iStockPhoto for regular money off deals, or if you often buy things like ink cartridges and paper in bulk, search online for business-related Euroffice discount codes. From low-cost laptops to cheap broadband rates, you might be surprised at how much you could reduce everyday outgoings.

Whatever stage you’re at, it’s always important to keep things in perspective. Although you might have big ideas, by saving money now, you could really end up investing in the long term future of your business.

Mark Pearson, chairman of MyVoucherCodes commented: “As an investor in start-ups, and someone who built one from scratch, I’m well aware of the pitfalls of starting a business. My advice – and this might sound like a contradiction coming from someone like me – would be to avoid being a perfectionist in the beginning. Even if it’s just a tiny website, it’s a foundation. Ultimately, doing something’s better than doing nothing at all.”

Palantir is a Silicon Valley based software company founded in 2004, providing the market-leading analytical platform used at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels within the commercial sector, intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities.

But they’re more than that.

They’re open source contributors. They do big data at massive scale (you may have heard of Hadoop and Cassandra.) They solve world-changing problems, with real impact. In a recent cover story on Palantir, Businessweek quotes one of their users as saying:

“It’s like plugging into the Matrix,” says a Special Forces member stationed in Afghanistan who requested anonymity out of security concerns. “The first time I saw it, I was like, ‘Holy crap. Holy crap. Holy crap.’ ”

…and, they accomplish all of this while staying true to their engineering culture and startup values: small teams, the best idea always wins, and their engineers have full ownership of what they’re delivering.

You will have the pleasure to meet them at London Startup Weekend. Present at the event will be two engineers from their London office, Adam (also a mentor) and Emanuel. A word from them: “We’re very excited to be attending the event, and encourage you to come talk to us; we’re particularly interested in ideas in the enterprise space!”

Why not try out Palantir yourself? Be the analyst at https://www.optradestop.com/.

Superb teams and pitches at Startup Weekend London, and super uber support from our Twitter followers!!!

Teams, there are some invaluable feedback on your pitches and ideas from the Twitter followers, search #swlondon on Twitter http://bit.ly/pnyAY2 for the awesomeness!

These feedback and followers may serve as your very good step to morph / pivot your ideas to something bigger, test your market, or potentially find your early adopters!

Don’t forget to follow @startuplondon on Twitter too or Download our iPhone / Android App http://mobileroadie.com/apps/swlondon to keep up to date!

Join us, and Check the pitches out through the Live Stream link –  it will start in no time! http://silver-line.tv/live-stream.html

Good luck teams!

I’d like to apologise to those people who really want to help out with the next Startup Weekend … I forgot that the 14th is Valentines Day … so anyway … Happy Valentines.

And if you’re reading this … and want to help organise the next London Startup Weekend, or be a sponsor. Then please get in contact damien at startupweekend.org

Thanks

Damien

What will you be doing for Londons EU Internet Week and Global Entrepreneurship Week?

London Startup Weekend (

The London Southbank office of IBM was packed out on Friday evening and for presentations on Sunday evening. The good weather, central location and good-humoured nature of the weekend kept everyone going. More than 60 people turned out for the weekend, working in 11 teams over for 2.5 days. Teams then had to pitch to a ‘jury’ of well-known London Entrepreneurs.

Many of the new startups made use of well known social media services, worked on events or mobile & location based ideas. The main prizes for the night were:

Startup most likely to make a million (pounds) -  Buddy Bounce

BuddyBounce is for events and is described as ‘video speed networking’. The team came up with the concept after using Chatroulette and is for consumer brands, marketing agencies and anyone creating an events. It’s like a fun icebreaker that can have a great value also as pre-conference tool.

Startup with the best crowd appeal – Brit My Pride

Brit My Pride is developing an app to test your knowledge of national and international accents. Initially a fun app for iPhone and Facebook, the team behind the concept plan to do more serious versions for English language teachers and students.

Startup most likely to get funding – Rags2Riches

Rags 2 Riches is a great mobile location game where catching up with friends can earn you ‘money’. Every time a member checks-in they could collect ‘money’ or charge rent. Members can also buy and sell locations from with their team.

The Judges Prize – Rags 2 Riches

The judging team were unanimous that Rags 2 Riches take the main prize. The panel consisted Raam Thakrar (CEO Touchnote), Alicia Navarro (CEO Skimlinks), Andrew Scott (CEO Rummble) and Farhan Lalji (Entrepreneur).

Startup Weekend Peoples Choice Award – Zolidays

Zolidays plans your holiday from you’re social network profile. Once you login with Facebook connect and enter your budget a holiday location is recommended for you. Zolidays will also work without logging in.
The main prize of business support services valued at £1500 went to Rags2Riches. Runners up, Brit My Pride and Buddy Bounce received prizes valued at £600 each. Major prizes were provided by eOffice.

Damien Saunders and James Digby, UK Organisers are very happy that attendance figures are up from previous events and also that format of the weekend has also been popular with attendees.

Startup Weekend is a great experience for everyone that comes along, the best thing about the weekend is what you take away from – this includes practical stuff like building your network or learning more about setting up a business.

You choose to work as a team and at the end on the Sunday night, teams present their business model, working prototype or maybe its a video – each team has a chance to win one of the many prizes.

The event is open to anyone interested in the local entrepreneurial community, and it puts them in a setting where anything is possible. Teams have even started to generate revenue during the 54hr event, and others have gone on to direct angel and VC investment.  None of this takes into account the amazing networking, ongoing professional relationships, and amazing experience that happen at every event.

About London Startup Weekend

London Startup 2010 is the 3^rd event in the UK. In 2009, Enterprise UK recognised Startup Weekend for promoting entrepreneurship. With so much interest in Startup Weekend, there are plans for more weekend events throughout the rest of the year.

About Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend is a 54 hour startup event that provides the networking, resources, and incentives for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch. Startup Weekend’s motto: Build Community. Start Companies. No Talk. All Action. In conjunction with local facilitators around the world, Startup Weekend is run by three guys out of Seattle, WA. Together, we are our own community of passionate entrepreneurs on a mission to help other entrepreneurs and facilitate innovation. In the past 2 years, 280+ startups have started mostly across the US, 9,000+ entrepreneurs have been inspired.

PRESS & MEDIA CONTACT

Damien Saunders – Organiser

Phone: +447919110638

Email: Damien@startupweekend.org

Requests for interviews and press enquiries to

Web: http://London.startupweekend.org

Email: London@startupweekend.org

Twitter: twitter.com/startuplondon

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Find out more about who will be joining London Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend is the place to come for anyone with a new idea that they want to see brought to life. Over the weekend teams work together to take the ideas and create real new ventures. One lucky team will win 3 months of shared office space worth over £1500 from eOffice (http://www.eoffice.net). The package includes a business address, mail forwarded weekly in the UK, a telephone number, telephone answering, call forwarding to one UK line and up to 100 hours of hotdesking each month.

As well, 2 Runners Up will walk away with a package of 3 months Virtual Office Premium – worth approx £600 – This includes business address, mail forwarded weekly in the UK, telephone number, call forwarding to one UK line and telephone answering service per month.

Damien Saunders UK Organiser, said “London Startup Weekend is working to find business support options for everyone that attends and the prize packages from eOffice are amazing”.

Startup Weekend is a great experience for everyone that comes along, the best thing about the weekend is what you take away from – this includes practical stuff like building your network or learning more about setting up a business.

You choose to work as a team and at the end on the Sunday night, teams present their business model, working prototype or maybe its a video – each team has a chance to win one of the many prizes.

The event is open to anyone interested in the local entrepreneurial community, and it puts them in a setting where anything is possible. Teams have even started to generate revenue during the 54hr event, and others have gone on to direct angel and VC investment.  None of this takes into account the amazing networking, ongoing professional relationships, and amazing experience that happen at every event.

Tickets are still available at £50.00 & £35 for concessions. Tickets can be brought at http://londonstartupweekendjune2010.eventbrite.com

About London Startup Weekend

London Startup 2010 is the 3^rd event in the UK. In 2009, Enterprise UK recognised Startup Weekend for promoting entrepreneurship. With so much interest in the Startup Weekend, there are plans for more weekend events throughout the rest of the year.

About Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend is a 54 hour startup event that provides the networking, resources, and incentives for individuals and teams to go from idea to launch. Startup Weekend’s motto: Build Community. Start Companies. No Talk. All Action. In conjunction with local facilitators around the world, Startup Weekend is run by three guys out of Seattle, WA. Together, we are our own community of passionate entrepreneurs on a mission to help other entrepreneurs and facilitate innovation. In the past 2 years, 280+ startups have started mostly across the US, 9,000+ entrepreneurs have been inspired.

PRESS & MEDIA CONTACT

Damien Saunders – Organiser

Phone: +447919110638

Email: Damien@startupweekend.org

Requests for interviews and press enquiries to

Web: http://London.startupweekend.org

Email: London@startupweekend.org

Twitter: twitter.com/startuplondon

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Yes – there are good reasons to join our mailing list – the best is you can save £15 or 30% on the cost of a ticket til Monday 6am BST.

Join Now – and we’ll instantly email you the special discount code.

What you should know about Startup Weekend is that we are a non-profit and we use your ticket money to cover costs for the weekend like meals and drinks for 2.5 days. We can only offer this discount code for a limited time.

So join our mailing list now.