I know it can be tough finding the right company/person to help you with your business, so I have put together a short list of services that we like enough to recommend to our clients and friends. I hope you find them useful! =) Please let me know if you have any suggestions and/or companies to add to this list.
Books
There are two books dedicated to Zen Cart. The first is the "official" guide, e-Start Your Web Store with Zen Cart. It's almost 400 pages long and is endorsed by the Zen Cart creators. It can be purchased as a downloadable e-book or a physical book; you're choice! The second book is an "unofficial" book called Zen Cart Plain English Survival Guide for Newbies. The name is pretty apt. It really is a pretty plain english guide.
If you're not sure which book to purchase, think about your level of comfort with all things computer- and internet-related. If you're a seasoned pro, I'd go with the e-Start Your Web Store. It contains more information, but is written in a slightly tech-speak-y way. If you feel like you prefer a little more hand holding, definitely go with the Plain English Guide. It has more than enough information and how-tos for the average website owner, is written in a more conversational tone. I don't think you could really go wrong with either as both are packed full of info and most how-tos have step-by-step pictures and directions.
Of course, many of our clients prefer to start with the LBD tutorials! With both written and Flash (video) tutorials, most day-to-day operational aspects are covered. With the books as back-ups, you should be all set!
Domains/SSL Certificates
I only recommend GoDaddy for domains. They’re the most popular for a reason…they’re the best! That’s where I have all of my own domains.
I also recommend GoDaddy for SSL certificates. They’re WAY cheaper for what I believe is the same quality certificate that many places charge 3x for. All of my SSL certificates have come from GoDaddy as well as most of my clients’.
Hosting
If you plan to get a merchant account that allows for automatic processing of credit cards, talk with me about which hosts will be best for your particular payment gateway as not all are compatible. To my knowledge, of the hosts listed, only HostMonster supports both Authorize.net and Linkpoint. So if you're not sure what payment gateway you're going to go with and want to get hosting now, I'd go with Hostmonster.
All of the following hosts use cPanel as their web hosting control panel, which we STRONGLY recommend in ANY host. It's easier to use, makes backing up your site as easy as two clicks (with no FTP client necessary!) and if you ever need to switch hosts in the future (hopefully not!), many other hosts that use cPanel can transfer your site for FREE. I can't stress enough how much I think everyone should have cPanel for the hosting control panel.
Because GoDaddy does not use cPanel, we don't recommend them. This goes for Dreamhost, too. In addition, Zen Cart can tend to run/load slowly on GoDaddy and Dreamhost. The developers of Zen Cart strongly recommend not running Zen Cart on GoDaddy hosting, so I think that's as trustworthy of a warning as any!
Host Monster - We've had a bunch clients sign up with rave reviews. Reasonable rates and good features. Clients say they have REALLY good customer support. One got me an answer from them within 20 minutes at 2am EST! =) Their support is NOT outsourced, if that's a plus for you. They offer 24/7 phone support in addition to email support.
Host Gator - Used them for a few clients and have been pleased with their offerings and prices. Their Hatchling or Baby plans would work well for just about anyone. 24/7 phone support available as well as email and live chat support.
Newsletter/Mailing List Services
Mail Chimp - My all-time favorite. VERY user-friendly and actually makes newsletters fun to make and send! Pay per email OR per month, based on your subscriber size. So no matter whether you're getting started or have a solid mailing list already, there's the perfect plan for you! They have a free (no credit card required) 30 day trial. The link above gives you a $30 credit when you activate your account.
I actually offer a newsletter template design service for Mail Chimp (around $30-50), but haven't had a chance to add it to our site, so just let me know if you're interested.
Constant Contact - Monthly fee based on number of subscribers
Vertical Response - Pay per email
Merchant Accounts (accepting credit cards)
Many of our clients have signed up with Cardservice International for automatic processing of credit card orders and I haven't heard any complaints yet! They offer LinkPoint/YourPay as their payment gateway.
Another merchant account that offers automatic processing is Merchant Express. They offer Authorize.net as their payment gateway, which is probably the most popular payment gateway and works wonderfully with Zen Cart. I've heard they'll match or beat your current merchant account rates, but haven't looked into it further.
I've heard good things about ProPay for manual processing.
Another good option is PayPal’s Website Payments Pro (click the Products and Services tab, then the Website Payments Pro link), which allows you to accept credit cards directly on your site, like a regular merchant account in addition to accepting regular PayPal payments. You have to offer PayPal’s Express Checkout when using WPP, FYI. Let me know if you have any questions about this. I recently just switched from Linkpoint to PayPal WPP as it was a cheaper option for me.
Product Photography
TSHarrington is an amazing product photographer! You can check out her commercial portfolio here. For rave reviews, do a quick search on the Switchboards for her name! There are just too many threads to list. =)
While we haven’t worked with her directly, we are familiar with Rebecca Picard’s work at Rebecca Picard Photography and it’s just amazing. She offers high-quality, yet affordable, images that can be used for print and/or web advertising. She works with small-medium independent businesses from around the world can work with budgets of all sizes. She comes with the highest recommendations from business owners that we absolutely trust, so give her a call! Rave review here, plus do a search for her name!
At the risk of oversimplifying, TS Harrington is an amazing fashion photographer and Rebecca Picard does the best straight product photography. I don't think you could really go wrong with either photographer for ANY type of photography, though!!
Copywriting
Need some help with your product descriptions or info page content? Try these great copywriters!
Mary Rajotte of Outstanding Ink - Outstanding Ink specializes in copywriting for small and medium-sized businesses. The primary types of writing services they offer include Press Releases to Company Profiles, Cover Letters and Vision & Mission Statements, with supplemental business services to be launched in the near future. Product descriptions ARE available, but aren't on the site, so just shoot Mary an email!
Erin Scoggins of ExpressionWorks - ExpressionWorks is a business writing and marketing firm dedicated to crafting compelling messages to help your company grow. From press releases to communication plans, they provide personalized services tailored to the needs of your business.
Printers
PrintingForLess – I’ve heard really good things lately about PrintingForLess. They seem to have some great deals and are powered by green energy! They now use 100% wind power.
Overnightprints.com – I have had good experiences with Overnightprints.com. I love the weight of their business cards and postcards especially. If you’re on a deadline, make sure you get their expediated shipping and printing, though!
VistaPrint – I have used VistaPrint and been very happy. The quality isn’t as good as Overnightprints.com, but it’s definitely pretty good, especially when you upgrade the paper weight. You can almost ALWAYS find a link for discounted, if not free, products.
Resources
The Switchboards – This is a FABULOUS resource for the small business owner! It’s specifically for female business owners, though there are a few men on the site. I highly recommend checking it out. I can say with 100% honesty that I NEVER could have gotten LBD started without the advice, support and knowledge that I received from the SB ladies! Definitely, DEFINITELY go check it out.
