Bills, bills, bills. Supplies, lights, heat, janitors, computers, phone…

Like junk faxes, they never stop coming. (By the way, if the faxes come from you, they aren’t junk.)

But let’s drill down on a bill - the beloved phone bill - hey, now! That’s one we could all use a little help with, right?

I’m sure everybody’s heard of the most publicized new solution to preserving cash. It might even qualify for “Extreme Saving.”

Naturally, I’m talking ’bout Internet calling.

Vonage and SunRocket are two of the web-based phone companies you may have seen advertised a bit. They’re cheap. You get unlimited calls.

Kind of a attractive for the average small business, especially one like yours that may need to spend more than a little bit of time on the phone.

But there are issues, notably the challenge that comes with keeping your landline-based broadband connection which maintains that steady flow of all-important emails, and a lack of dedicated, reliable 9/11 service.

Maybe you don’t want Facebook or HP knowing where you live, but the life-saving 9/11 types you definitely do.

That is a biggie, obviously. It is being addressed, but don’t abandon the landline just yet.

So, cool, right? Lower cost, mostly the same phone service.

But what if we can get it down to right around nada? Now we’re getting closer to a perfect solution, eh?!?

Ladies and gentleman, I give you Skype.

(Actually eBay does, but thanks for allowing the dramatic intro.)

Ironically enough, it was a business colleague who first turned me on to Skype. It only took a brief, testimonial-laden conversation to get my interest. But what won me over was the actual practice.

To record a podcast (future blog alert!), the colleague, who had lots of previous experience using Skype, suggested that we use it as a way to save money (the recording was East Coast to West Coast).

I downloaded the software, ran the quick self-tests and voila! It was done. Ten minutes later we were on the call together, it sounded exactly like any other phone call I’ve ever been on, and we ended up taking about 90 minutes to record the conversation to his iPod.

Cost? Zero dollars.

Check out this post from the Skype blog

We did some user research and we found that about 30% of our user base uses Skype for work purpose, pretty interesting because we have a consumer focused product. From the research we also found that it was mostly small companies using Skype and the reason that they use Skype is because it saves their company money but also because it increases their productivity and saves them time. There are some features that helps conf calling, group chats, presence, SkypeIn, Call forwarding etc.

Turns out it works just great if you don’t mind calling PC-to-PC, and it’s simple to use. I love the interface, too. Check it out. Unless you prefer to pay boatloads of cash for conference calls, in which case avoid it at all costs. Literally.

So how about that? Yet another great, money-saving small business resource. Hey, thanks technology!

In sum, bills are indeed such a drag. Hopefully today’s post helps reduce your list by at least one.

Still, bills are a part of doing business. And at the 5-year anniversary of 9/11, it feels necessary to offer ourselves a perspective-bearing reminder: it is indeed a privilege to pursue the American Dream.

Need a poignant yet appropriate way to commemorate 9/11? Stay dedicated to your dream of business success. Good business is what this country was founded on, and something we are all committed to.

Keep up the good work, and the legacy of 9/11 will never be forgotten.

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Grow My Business can help lighten the load on understanding how to get started, gain momentum, and manage growth for the long run. And for small and home business software needs, check out Avanquest, the company that brings you the biggest bang for your hard-earned entrepreneurial buck.