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The Do-it-all, Start-up CEO’s App Toolkit

Here are the apps I "can't live without" as a start-up entrepreneur. These things are open everyday on my computer (a MacBook) and are where nearly all of my business gets done:

• Google Docs (best way to collaborate and get feedback on financial projections, executive summaries, job listings, etc.)
• Basecamp (if my development team loves it, I love it. PS: I put an affiliate code in that link.)
• Adium (communication is key)
• Ecto (blogging is an essential part of start-upping, and I use this editor to manage all of my bloggin accounts and to compose my prose)
• Illustrator (I'm no artist, but I do like to mock-up logos and wireframes when I have an idea.)
• NewsFire (I was holding out until Reader got search. Now it does. Maybe I'll change, but I like NewsFire a lot.)
• Mail.app (I have email coming at me from every direction, many servers, etc -- too much for just using gmail online. Mail.app lets me have everything in one place and actually has good search too.
• Firefox and Camino (Firefox is like "duh", right? Well, I use Camino for all my critical web apps. It's a cleaner interface and it removes my business critical web apps from the clutter of my Firefox browser, which is blinged out with all sorts of add-ons, like Delicious, Alexa, Web Developers, Google Toolbar.)

I use a ton of other websites and tools everyday (like my calculator!), but without the tools above I don't know how I'd do all that I do.

About Nate Westheimer

Nate is the Co-Founder and EVP of Product & Technolog for AnyClip. He is also the Organizer of the 13,000 member NY Tech Meetup.