Our first feature is of Carl E. Bayer, President and Founder of ScentedTowel.com.

ScentedTowel.com was founded in April of 2011 and offers a number of different travel products. Most notably, they are known for their Pre-Moistened 100% Cotton Refreshment Towels. Their towels offer first class luxurious refreshment even when you’re not flying first class. Customers can purchase the eco-friendly towels individually, in bulk sets, or even get a private label created with their own logo or custom message printed on the packaging.

Tell us about yourself and how you came up with the idea for ScentedTowel.com.

Carl Bayer: In my early 20s I was diagnosed with kidney disease. As things progressed, it eventually got worse. I started dialysis back in 2008 of April when I did peritoneal dialysis. That allowed me to travel and still enjoy doing the things that I really enjoy doing.

In January, as I started having lots of complications, I had to have multiple surgeries to help the draining process. During the manual dialysis, you’re hooked up to a machine for 10 hours a night while it fills you with 3,000 mls of fluid. Then it dwells for a few hours, drains it out and repeats the process throughout the night. I was having problems draining, and the fluid was just accumulating. The doctors had to do multiple surgeries to try and fix it.

The last surgery they did nicked the peritoneum, and from there I had to go on emergency hemodialysis which completely changed my life. I basically stopped working all together. I had to leave my job. Then in April, I got a call; they had a donor that had passed away from a head trauma, and his family was donating his organs. I was one of the lucky ones.

That was life changing and gave me a renewed sense of what I wanted to do with my life. I thought travel is really what I love to do, and I’ve always been looking for a high-quality luxurious travel product like this that offers that little bit of extra comfort and serenity. Why not go for it?

Who else is involved in ScentedTowel.com?

Carl Bayer: I have a couple of friends who are commission sales people. We’re growing pretty rapidly; it’s kind of intense. We had a recent promotion that featured on Oct. 21st on ABC 7 in San Francisco, where we gave away 3,000 of our Lemon Scented Towels. The exposure was just incredible. The response from the 5:30 news was unbelievable. I remember watching the orders come in on my iPad, the tally kept going up. In the first ten minutes, we had 2,000 orders. It was a great offer. From that, we’ve gotten lots of responses from larger companies and distributors who want to work with us.

What do you think the future holds for ScentedTowel.com?

Carl Bayer: We definitely can see continued growth. We want to expand our products into different scented towels as well and with a variety of sizes. We’re also going to branch off into some hard to find travel-sized products.

How are you reaching out to your customers?

Carl Bayer: We’re reaching out socially. We just started our fan base on Twitter, I think we have 550 fans there. Our Facebook is starting to grow, and we’re also getting other bloggers interested in us and sending them samples.

How is FreedomVoice helping ScentedTowel.com?

Carl Bayer: I found you by doing a Google search, actually. We were starting up and I needed a professional front for my phone service. I can’t use my home number when meeting with high-end clients. You guys were a quick, easy solution which I absolutely fell in love with. I can see how we can grow with you as we grow as well. One of the first things we did was have our auto attendant professionally recorded using one of your voice talents. That gives us instant credibility and helps us put forth the best image when dealing with clients of any size. We also set up call forwarding to make sure we can always be reached, and we use the online faxing feature quite a bit.

What were the challenges getting started?

Carl Bayer: For me it was actually pretty easy, surprisingly. We were able to get going pretty quickly. One of the things I didn’t want to invest in heavily was a phone system, and that’s why your solution was absolutely perfect. The startup cost, for the features you offer, is definitely a great value. I love the fact that it sends my messages to my iPhone or iPad or whatever mobile device I’m carrying, and I can listen to it wherever I am. We also did some crowdsourcing. We turned to LogoTournament to create our logo, and Hatchwise is another one we use to do some graphic design work.

What are some of your favorite hobbies?

Carl Bayer: Travel is a favorite hobby of mine. I really like international locations like Taipei, Taiwan and tropical locations like Hawaii. Right now everything is focused on the business, but that’s one of my main hobbies.

What is your favorite color?

Carl Bayer: It’s always been blue.

Do you have any tips for someone else getting started with their own business?

Carl Bayer: Well, you can never have enough money to start up. Everything costs more than you expect. Just make sure you have enough capital. Keep at it, and don’t get discouraged. We started out kind of slowly, but all of a sudden things are taking off. Find creative ways to market yourself. For instance, the promotion with ABC 7 cost us nothing; we just reached out to them and said we’d love to be a part of your segment and sent them samples.

Visit ScentedTowel.com and connect on their Facebook and Twitter pages!

This new site and blog were a positive first step in helping our outer image reflect our inner quality, and we’ve furthered that with a brand new logo for a new decade. Are we just trying to be more cutting-edge?

As a wise man once said, “Do or do not. There is no try.” And we’ve been doing since day one, pushing the envelope of business communications. Not content to run with the pack, we’ve constantly rolled out improved virtual phone system features and innovative solutions like the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX and even the ill-fated Newber iPhone app. Where we’ve succeeded, we’ve grown. Where we’ve stumbled, we’ve learned.

This new logo not only represents where we’ve been, but also where we’re headed. In that vein, allow me to set the record straight – our logo may be getting a facelift, but our core values aren’t changing. Our commitment to quality, to affordable service, and to the success of our customers is as solid as it’s ever been. Think of this new logo as a badge of commitment to you, our customers, to keep pressing forward with new technologies designed with your business in mind.

We chose this logo out of countless alternatives because it really spoke to us as being representative of our services: bold, efficient, and easy to understand. So – love it, hate it? Tell us what you think.

We’d like to share our social media success story thus far.

After utilizing social media sparingly for 6 months, we’ve already seen admirable results on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. We now have over 1,700 followers on Twitter, 3,200 video views on YouTube, and 230 fans on Facebook. Our social media efforts have increased brand awareness, lead generation, and conversions. And a lot of that success has come as a result of our blogs.

Both the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP Blog and the FreedomVoice Toll Free Number Blog are growing in popularity each day. The blogs currently have hundreds of visitors each month, and we expect that to be in the thousands before long.

We know that fans do not come easy, and we’re very thankful to everyone who interacts with us through social media. It’s been a lot of fun creating content we are passionate about, and we look forward to making lots more in 2010.

Follow us on Twitter.
Become a fan on Facebook.
Visit us on YouTube.
Read the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP Blog
Read the FreedomVoice Toll Free Number Blog

Quick Stats – # People Using Social Media Sites:

• On Sep 14, 2009 Mashable projected Twitter to have 18 million users by End of 2009
• According to the Facebook Blog they are 200 Million Strong
• Friday, October 9, 2009 YouTube reaches over one billion views per day
• LinkedIn: over 50 million

“People will look back on the iPhone as a turning point in the industry,” says Craig Moffett, a telecom analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein. “The iPhone will be remembered as the first true handheld computer.”

It’s nice to see the level of enthusiasm and optimism surrounding Apple. Of course, the FreedomVOICE experience with Apple was somewhat different. Here is text mentioning FreedomVoice taken directly from the New York Times article.

FreedomVoice Systems, a company in San Diego, couldn’t wait to roll out a mobile version of its telephone software for the iPhone. The company submitted an application to the App Store last year and excitedly waited. And waited. And kept waiting.

“We’re facing 396 days with no contact from Apple,” says Eric Thomas, chief executive of FreedomVoice. “The app has been ‘pending’ in the App Store for a year.”

Mr. Thomas says he understands that it is Apple’s decision whether to accept his app. “But the idea they wouldn’t tell us it was a no — or even why — so we could try to do something about it,” he said, “is a very strange and unneighborly approach.”

For the record, FreedomVoice is glad that many have experienced success with App Store. As an honest and hardworking company, we know that success does not come easy, so it is good to see others do well through this channel. Unfortunately, this was not the case with for us in this circumstance. And while we’ve moved on to bigger and better things, we will still always remain a little confused about the lack of communication from Apple regarding our app.

While the New York Times article was well done, it did leave out some very positive things which we are currently working on at FreedomVoice. The article did not mention anything about the tremendous success we’ve been having with the FreedomIQ Hosted VoIP PBX. Or the steadfast virtual phone systems we have built much of our business on, which is still seeing excellent growth.

Regardless of what was said or not said, we’re pretty happy to be covered by the New York Times.

You can read the full article here.

We’re hoping that next time we are covered by the New York Times it will be for something great! Keep an eye on us; we have some exciting projects in the works.

But it wasn’t just the report that got us excited. We’ve also had some very positive customer feedback recently. Take a look at what Bruce E. Garber, Broker and Owner at CENTURY 21 BHJ Realty, Inc., had to say about AdTrakker.

AdTrakker has been critical to my company. I saw the slowdown in our market occur before everyone else even knew what was going on by monitoring the call volume. I am now watching it pick back up again by monitoring AdTrakker calls.

We now only advertise if we can measure the results. AdTrakker has allowed me to evaluate all advertising activities and make wise advertising decisions.

Monitoring our AdTrakker calls is like watching life happen. We see sellers calling our 888 number getting the real estate itch long before they would ever admit it to an agent. Phone number identification allows us to not only know who calls but the price range of the neighborhood they are calling from so we start thinking about the sale of the home they are calling on as well as the home they need to sell early on in the process.

AdTrakker has helped me as a broker prove to agents that not all advertising is effective – it has made the “ego” ads go away, they made the agent feel good but they did not generate business.  Before AdTrakker I had no concrete evidence.

My agents pay their own monthly mailbox cost and they think it is a good value and never complain about the monthly bill.

For the life of me, I don’t understand why more brokers don’t implement AdTrakker. AdTrakker gives you the science you need to make good business decisions.

Call your agents cell phone off the yard signs on Saturday morning, you will really think about AdTrakker then. I know who calls our company, what time they call, and I monitor agents to make sure we are following up on all calls.

Bruce E. Garber
Broker / Owner
CENTURY 21 BHJ Realty, Inc.

FreedomVoice is proud that AdTrakker is proving to be such a valuable asset to real estate agents. If this product interests you, take a moment to read more about it in our recent press release or feel free to visit the AdTrakker website and try the service for yourself risk-free for 15 days.

Here, Guardian Analytics, a provider of fraud prevention software for the financial services industry, advises businesses on the risks of Internet banking, and how they can protect their companies from becoming a victim of online banking fraud.

The need for businesses to examine their online business banking practices has never been more important. In August alone, the FDIC, NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association, and the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) all published alerts warning about rising Internet threats to businesses. Analyst firm Gartner issued a report on the issue in August, and last week the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a special hearing to discuss cybercriminals targeting small- and medium- sized businesses, many of which, could be the same business owners browsing this site for toll free number information.

Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., have started drafting legislation to address this as well as other cyber security issues, and is working to bring public and private organizations together to spearhead the initiative.

“In the last several weeks, business banking fraud has become a dominant discussion point in the financial and security industries,” said Avivah Litan, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “With cybercriminals circumventing strong authentication and using sophisticated reconnaissance on accounts during the attacks, increased fraud awareness has never been more important.”

Terry Austin, Guardian Analytics CEO, provides the following advice to entrepreneurs to protect their companies against online banking fraud:

1. Be aware of your financial rights: If your business becomes the victim of online business banking fraud, you have fewer rights than you do as an individual. Regulation E of the Federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act requires banks to reimburse consumer fraud victims within 10 days of a fraud report, but it does not protect businesses the same way it protects individual accounts. Ask your bank what their policies are on protecting business accounts.

2. Ask your bank to increase investment in protection technologies: Your bank’s online account platform is only as secure as the technology behind it. Ask your bank if they have a proactive online banking fraud monitoring system in place to detect suspicious account activity and how they are responding to the recent alerts. Despite increased regulations, many financial institutions still have not implemented the technologies beyond authentication that are necessary to fight today’s sophisticated threats.

3. Update your anti-malware software and firewalls: Not keeping your anti-malware and firewalls updated is a huge risk for anyone, and even more so when it could jeopardize your businesses’ entire financial health. Still, know that your business can fall victim even with updated computer security protection.

4. Monitor for irregularities and missing funds: It is imperative for any business to always be on the lookout for anything abnormal occurring in its account/s. Many banks offer transaction alerts so customers can be notified of important account activity, so ask your bank about this service.

5. Educate your financial managers on the threats: Forward the latest advisories on to whoever manages your online business banking accounts. If anyone needs to know about the threats, it is the person closest to your online banking account/s, whether that is the CEO, CFO, or accountant.

To find out more about online banking faud and how you can protect yourself visit Guardian Analytics website.

To see how the FreedomVoice Toll Free Number Service works visit www.freedomvoice.com/how-it-works.shtml

In business, a good tip can go a long way. Whether it is advice in finance, marketing, management, etc., we’ve all heard a tip at one time that has had a positive impact on our company and/or bottom line. Especially the tip that brought you to FreedomVoice for toll free numbers and virtual phone systems!

As the first Small Business Tip Contest on the FreedomVoice Blog, we would like to ask you to share advice that has helped your business succeed. The person who submits the best business tip will be awarded a HP Mini 110-1012NR XP Edition 10.1″ Widescreen Netbook Computer!

To enter your small business tip in the FreedomVoice Small Business Tip Contest, simply post the small business tip you are submitting to this blog. Business tips must be less than 200 words and should be geared towards businesses with 50 employees or less. The contest will close October 20th.

We are holding the small business tip contest on the new FreedomVoice Blog to open up the floor for constructive dialogue. Make sure to leave your correct email address so that we can contact you should you win the contest. Emails will not be added to any lists, shared with third parties, or used for marketing purposes.

Post your business tip to this blog to get the conversation started and to enter yourself for a chance to win a brand new HP Mini 110-1012NR XP Edition 10.1″ Widescreen Netbook Computer!

We’re proud to say that our FreedomVoice toll free number service has been recommended in Undress for Success, an acclaimed book offering honest, real world information on home-based jobs, businesses, and careers that can change your life. The book brings together three decades of experience working from home, and explores and explains everything you need to know to simplify your life with a work at home job.

Jim Ware, cofounder of Future of Work, calls Undress for Success,“The best collection of teleworking ‘How-To’s’ and ‘Why’s’ that I’ve seen anywhere.” Stating that, “This book is a goldmine for anyone seriously considering working from home.”

FreedomVoice is honored to be mentioned in Undress for Success. Want to know what was said? Here is an excerpt from the book:

“After years of struggling for a solution to answering the phone in our flightseeing business, we found a company called FreedomVoice that offered a simple, elegant, and inexpensive solution to the problem.

We routed our phone lines to them and, through an easy online interface, we set up an elaborate hierarchy to manage how calls were routed and what customers heard when they called. The computer and virtual operator, offered callers the option of receiving voice or fax information about our airplane rides or reaching a real live human.  Depending on what they wanted—a reservation, weather update, gift certificate or just talk—their call was routed to the appropriate recording or person. As staff schedules changed, a few computer clicks was all it took to update the routing. If we were in the car, the technology would hunt through our phone lines until it found us.

We hate voicemail and endless menus as much as anybody, but FreedomVoice offered a professional solution and allowed us to inject some fun into the mix. We added engine sounds, honky-tonk music, and even some on-hold humor: “We’re busier than a one-armed wing walker with a wedgie, but hang on, and we’ll be right with you.” We actually had folks complain if someone answered a call too quickly because they were enjoying the on hold entertainment.

In the off-hours, the system recorded caller messages and forwarded them (as either a sound or text file) to our e-mail, fax, or iPhone. This is starting to sound like a commercial for FreedomVoice, but the naked truth is we didn’t find anything else that worked well.”

FreedomVoice would like to thank Undress for Success authors Kate Lister and Tom Harnish for the positive remarks about the FreedomVoice toll free number service.

To find out more about Undress for Success, visit undress4success.com/.

To find out more about FreedomVoice toll free numbers, visit www.freedomvoice.com/.

But before we dive into it headfirst, we’d like to formally introduce ourselves and tell you a little about our history…

Led by CEO Eric Thomas, FreedomVoice was established in 1996 and was one of the first providers of business toll free number solutions in the Unites States. Consistently at the forefront of the telecom industry, today FreedomVOICE provides businesses with communications tools and cutting-edge features to enhance their professional image, improve their connectivity, create flexibility, and increase efficiency.

FreedomVoice offers a wide array of superior communications services. These services include:

- FreedomVoice® Toll Free Numbers
- FreedomIQ® Hosted VoIP PBX
- FaxFreedomâ„  Internet Faxing
- AdTrakkerâ„  Call Capture
- ConstantConferencing Service

Based out of Encinitas, CA, we at FreedomVoice work hard to bring superior quality and innovative features to each of our products, and we also have a relentless dedication to topnotch customer support. In doing so, we have served large organizations like Microsoft, Principal Financial Group, Star Search, CBS and the San Diego Zoo.

We hope this introduction to FreedomVoice has given you a better idea of who we are and the products we offer. Please stay connected to us by stopping by this blog. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed or sign up for email notification in the sidebar on the right hand side of this page.

We greatly appreciate you stopping by. Please let us know if you have any particular topics you would like to see covered by commenting below.

How it Works
This short video shows how toll free number service works. After viewing the introduction video, make sure to click on the tabs in the upper right hand corner of the video box to watch clips describing how the service enhances your image, keeps you connected, allows for automation, and creates one number efficiency.
How FreedomVoice Toll Free Numbers Work

Toll Free Numbers
Want to know the difference between 800, 866, 877 or 880 numbers? Or would you like to know why vanity numbers are popular and how to transfer numbers? Learn all this, and even read information on the future of toll free numbers, in this resource section.
Toll Free Numbers

Virtual Phone System Features
Our toll free number service comes with a range of virtual phone system features such as an auto attendant, voicemail service, Internet fax, call forwarding, the WebLINK Internet Control Panel, and more. But these features can’t help you if you don’t know what they do and how to use them! Get the inside scoop on all of the FreedomVoice included features on this resource page.
Included Features

Custom Solutions
We understand that every business has different needs. Because of this, we’re happy to offer custom toll free number solutions to each of our clients. Visit this resource page to learn what we offer.
Custom Solutions

If you have any questions about toll free number service please post a comment below and FreedomVoice will respond promptly.