One of the biggest obstacles of being an entrepreneur is balancing all the parts of your business. I know I can't be the only one that feels like there is never enough time in the day to accomplish everything I need to get done.
While there are some proven techniques, you can implement on your own time to help you stay focused, there are also some fantastic business tools that can help boost your workflow and make life just a little bit easier. If you haven’t started implementing some of these already, do yourself a favor and check out this list I have created for you below.
Auto-posting Apps
Are there any minor tasks that you always seem to put on the back burner, like scheduled social media posts? Setting up a simple computerization workflow could be just the ticket. Why? Because everyone who wants a successful business needs to have a strong social media presence.
Apps like Hootsuite Zapier, IFTTT, and Buffer are serious time-savers, helping you bring different applications, software, and devices that are a part of your business together. What usually requires a lot of time and effort, should now become more comfortable for you once you implement these apps into your life. Try and think of these apps like mini virtual assistants. You can set up automatic functions for everyday mundane tasks through a series of steps. With these services, you can also do things like post new WordPress blogs to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or save email attachments to cloud storage services like Dropbox.
Email Software
Are you stuck in the stone ages and still sending all your emails the old-fashioned way? Having a reliable email software can save you some severe headaches, sis. So, go ahead and make the switch over to popular services like MailChimp, Active Campaign, Constant Contact, CoverKit, and Campaign Monitor. You don’t have to be a tech wiz to figure these out either.
Typically, these services are set up to be super user-friendly, so you can use pre-built templates or a drag-and-drop type builder to create emails. Email software is an ideal tool to help you develop and grow a curated email list, so you want to make sure you are doing it right.
Accounting Software
This should be one of the first business tools we should all invest in. Why? Because it saves business owners the hassle of having to create invoices and tally up balances. Plus, it can make you look very established and professional. There are plenty of great services out there, from Billy, FreeAgent, FreshBooks, Intuit QuickBooks, Kalo, Kashoo, OneUp, Sage One, Wave Financial, Xero, ZipBooks, and Zoho Books, for freelancers. Many of these applications also offer a free trial, so you can be sure to try it before you buy it.
Time-Tracker Apps
For any business, especially a service-based one, another useful tool to keep in your arsenal is time-tracking software. Because time is money, right sis? For example, if you are using time-tracking software like FreshBooks, it can help keep track of hours worked and neatly organizes them by individual clients and projects. Other excellent time tracking apps include Toggl, Harvest, and TimeCamp if you need something a bit more basic. If anything, it doesn’t hurt to have a time-tracker app to keep track of productivity.
Creative Graphics
If you’re not naturally a creative person, (i.e., me) creating your own promotional graphics for your business can seem daunting and time-consuming. Thankfully, there are some excellent programs to help make designing graphics fun and smooth experience. In my line of work as a writer and freelancer, I have used Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and In-Design. If you are looking for more user-friendly choices, Adobe Spark, PicMonkey, or Canva, all come with a variety of templates and inspiration to create something great quickly. A bonus, Canva and Adobe Spark are both free to use.
The hope is with these tools; you won't spend hours being frustrated by complicated software or brainstorming the perfect design or template. You can begin with one of the many base designs offered and modify the text and imagery to your brand using the built-in font and image libraries. Of course, you can always outsource a designer, but if you like to be in control, a business tool like Canva or Spark can help save money and give you a little design practice while you are at it. With these innovative platforms, you can create ads and videos, social media posts, inspirational quotes, presentations, newsletters and so much more.
File Storage
Let’s think about something that is often overlooked. File Storage. Because let’s face it, we never really know how much we need this business tool until having all files from all your devices in one accessible location isn’t an option. Depending on the type of business you have, you may not deal with a lot of data. But if you are a photographer, designer or writer, you probably already know how valuable a good file storage app is. File storage options you should consider, besides Dropbox, of course, are Google Drive, Cloud App, and Box.
In conclusion, don’t be afraid to spend a little money on your business now and invest in yourself, because guess what, you are worth it, sis.
What are some business tools and software that you like to use for your business?
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