Solo’s main screen is its dashboard, shown in the image above. It’s dominated by a message display that offers things like tips and updates about upcoming deadlines, with infographic-like charts below that provide at-a-glance details of project status, as well as turnover and hours recorded over time. You can also start and stop the task timer from this screen. Accessing the other areas of the app, such as the planner, timesheets and invoices, is done through the tabs at the top of the screen.

Designers and other creatives who take aesthetics seriously will appreciate Solo’s beautiful interface. That’s something I rarely get to say about project management apps, which are usually functional rather than pretty. Microproject, a scheduling app I reviewed recently, also has an attractive and well-designed interface, but it really can’t come close to Solo’s data-first design and attention to detail.

Solo’s a lovely product to look at, is quite easy to use and has a good set of features for freelancers, but there are a few potential issues with it. First, there doesn’t seem to be any way to export data, nor is there integration with any existing accounting, CRM or invoicing apps, which is disappointing. There isn’t even seem a way to import contacts from CRM or email apps that I can see. Second, it’s unclear how the product will scale if a freelance business expands to take on additional staff. Thrive’s Jerome Iveson says that the company is working on a multi-user PM app called Studio; hopefully it will be possible to migrate accounts and data between the two products. Finally, once you move beyond the dashboard into other areas of the app, some areas aren’t quite as polished and aren’t all that intuitive in use. It’s not clear how recorded hours are moved from timesheet to invoice, for example. Hopefully, those areas will be cleaned up over time; the app is still in development with several new features due to be added, such as a client area, blog feeds and messages.

Solo costs $10 per month, with a 14-day free trial available.

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But in reading “Business Opportunities Abound, Even in Bad Times” in the NY Times, I was reminded that there are opportunities out there expressly as a result of the economic malaise.

The three examples given in the article that prompted this thought were:

1. A provider of medical bill discounts to low-income earners, which expects its customer base to grow sixfold this year (as more people lose their jobs, their potential market grows).

2. A computer security specialist (more disgruntled ex-employees mean that more companies might need security services).

3. A “search fund,” an operation that actively looks for businesses to buy and flip (taking advantage of tumbling prices caused by the poor economy).

You can extend the thinking behind these kinds of businesses to revenue streams that may work well for web workers. You need to think about what types of services are likely to be in demand because we’re in a recession, and see if you can extend your offering to meet those needs.

If you’re a web developer you could build a service that helps people looking for cheap medical insurance; services that helps folks save cash on basic needs would be another idea. For example, a site where users could get coupons, or where they could research which grocery stores are cheapest based on the type of goods they’re looking to buy.

Or if you have security expertise, you could follow the example of Fidelis Security, covered in the article, and target your offering to companies worried about “data leaks” from disgruntled ex-employees.

If you have some capital, now might be a good time to look for web businesses to acquire to add to your portfolio. Tough times mean that you may be able to grab a bargain.

As a web worker, you’re already in a good position to weather the recession: you have a low cost base, you are agile, and you can access a global marketplace. But by making some smart decisions, your business could actually thrive in this downturn.

What strategies are you using to thrive in the downturn?

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