The best online deals for small business startups

Making your small business startup as a lean as possible means hunting for deals and discounts on important business products and services.

Fortunately saving money on business startup costs is a lot easier than it used to be, thanks to online availability, plenty of competition, and lower prices from cloud based, or online services.

In fact, one of the main themes you'll notice here will be how cloud based business services are becoming more widely adopted due to their flexibility, reliability and low cost.

Overall, this article looks at some of the most important products and services that every small business startup needs, and provides a list of great deals and discounts from leading, brand names - available online.

Top online deals for small business

One of the most important aspects of starting up a new business is to be able to operate as efficiently as possible, and as cheaply as possible.

This is what makes finding "must-have" products and services at affordable prices so important, in the early stages of starting up.

I have tried to focus this list on those things that are common to all modern businesses, so you should find this list useful regardless of what your startup niche is.

To make life a bit easier, I have also categorized the deals, and will update this post on a regular basis.

Be sure to check back regularly to get the latest deals and discounts.

Websites & hosting

Building a high quality website and running it on a reliable and fast Web server are important prerequisites for good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and obtaining high page rankings to drive plenty of organic Web traffic.

Check out The real cost of cheap Web hosting for information on how to choose the most affordable Web hosting service that won't adversely affect your page rankings, traffic, and general sanity.

If you are looking for VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting tailored for business, then you can get 3 months free (annual signup), 4 months free (2 year signup), 6 months free (3 year signup) with myhosting.

For general Web hosting, domains and website discounts, Register is providing a complete 25% discount on your entire order. Use coupon code REGISTERSPECIAL25.

In addition, Netfirms, a Web hosting company catering specifically for small business, has a limited time 33% discount coupon (code: AFFBIZ2010) on their small business Web hosting plans.

Security is becoming more and more important - especially if you are going to handle any type of business transactions via your website. GoDaddy is offering 20% off premium SSL certificates.

For eCommerce startups, BigCommerce is offering up to $100 in Google AdWords credit when you purchase an eCommerce hosting plan.

And, Yahoo! is currently offering 35% off the first 3 months of their popular Web hosting plans.

Alternatively, you can create a free website for your business with Weebly.

Accounting & payroll

QuickBooks is by some measure the most popular accounting software for small businesses - easily verified by checking the best sellers list on Amazon (or visiting Top 10 small business software products, 2012).

Currently, they are offering 20% off Quickbooks Pro 2013, and throwing in free shipping.

However, if you are in the mood for something a bit more modern, it's worth trying Quickbooks Online for free for 30 days. No setup fees, and you can cancel at any time.

Printing

Printing costs for small business marketing materials can be substantial. It's definitely worth finding a reliable and affordable printing service early on.

PrintRunner consistently offers a range of printing coupons and specials that allow you to save up to 20% off your orders.

PrintPlace, another leading online printing service for business, has a coupon (code: SITE15) that provides $15 off orders of $150 or more.

FedEx Office provides print-from-anywhere services online, and they have a discount coupon of 20% for all online printing orders over $150 (code: CJN200).

Of course, if you are doing a lot of your own printing, then it makes more sense to take advantage of Carrot Ink and their offer of 10% off all orders over $45 - the coupon is automatic. Plus they also throw in free shipping.

Business cards are a super important networking and marketing tool, and there are plenty of online printing services that allow for the design, printing and delivery of business cards.

However, if you want high quality business cards for you and your employees then it is possible to get preferential rates for MOO business services clients - MOO is a leading, online business card design and printing specialist service.

Communications

Don't waste money on outdated telecommunications equipment, when it is now possible to handle everything quickly and cheaply using cloud based, online communications.

Cloud based virtual phone systems are much quicker to set up and are much cheaper to use.

Currently, RingCentral (a market leader in virtual phone and fax services) is offering 20% off for 12 months.

In addition, GoToMeeting, a leading provider of online video meetings and conference calling is offering a free trial and $10 off for new customers.

Software

Amazon is always a great source of discounted software products. You might want to check out the Top 10 small business software products, 2012 to get a feel for which products are the most popular.

Buy a qualifying Microsoft Office product, and download the next version free, direct from the Microsoft store

Worried about Internet security for your small business? Save 20% on AVG Internet Security 2013 for 2 years and up to three PCs.

AVG is also offering 20% off their anti-virus software.

For anyone needing to run Windows from their Mac, Parallels has a limited time offer of 25% off Desktop 8 for Mac.

Hardware

One of the best places to pick up cheap deals on computer hardware and gadgets is by browsing the Newegg clearance items.

However, if you're specifically interested in Apple hardware products, then it's worth checking out MacMall where you can get up to $649 off on Macs.

Office

Buying office supplies, furniture and business equipment can be quite an administrative headache.

Finding a reliable partner that makes affordable office supplies available in a convenient way, is important - especially during your growth phase.

You might also want to check out a comparison of the online offerings from three leading office supply stores.

Travel

If you are planning on attending a conference or expo, or simply have to travel as part of your business, then it is possible to save up to 40% on last minute air fares with Hotwire.

Expedia also offers a range of special deals for travel to popular destinations.

That's my list of the top online deals for small businesses. Have you tried any of these products and services? What do you think of them? Are there any others you can recommend?

Share your tips on where to find the best online deals for small business in the comments.