Introduction
It can be challenging for a startup to gain traction within the first year of operation. No wonder studies have shown that 95% of small businesses fail during the first year of the operation. If you have a small business and you want to scale that business to a height where you desire, you have got to use some technology tools to free up time to do other important things.
As a business owner, you may be wondering what tools to use so that your productivity and efficiency can improve. You are not alone in this. So many business owners out there also want to scale their businesses. Thankfully, in this article, we have put together the top 7 best important tools for small businesses.
Eager to learn about these tools? Then read on!
7 Best Tools To Use As A Small Business Owner
While there are several tools for business owners, we have taken time to research the market and we present to you these 7 tools that can improve and scale your business processes. If you are able to add these tools in your business arsenal, you’d be one step away from gaining traction and giving your competitors a run for their money.
Let’s take a look at the tools
1. G-Suite
G-suite is the acronym for Google Suite. Google has made life easy for businesses in today’s ever-busy and ever-dynamic economy. G-suite is like a family name for several sub-tools that businesses can take advantage of. G-suite relies heavily on cloud computing. They are primarily designed to enhance team collaboration and productivity. The chances are that as an individual you are probably using these tools to run your day-to-day activities. Here are the tools:
Gmail
Drive
Docs
Sheets
Slides
Calendars
If you can import these tools to run your business, the likelihood of scaling your business is very high. Plus, you will be able to manage your business information from any location. If you have employees, you can easily collaborate with them remotely.
The good thing about using G-suite is the centralization and security it provides. It also treats users to a great internal search engine and document backup to the cloud. What’s more? There is also email and file all in one place and backed up in the cloud.
2. Trello
Trello is another important technology tool every business should adopt. At its core, Trello is a great project management tool created by Atlassian. In terms of flexibility, no tool is as flexible as Trello. Business owners can use Trello to collaborate with their employees, manage their projects remotely, and notify employees where there is a need to take action.
Trello can be used in different ways, from Agile methodology, Connectwise Payments, to bulletin boards, and everything in between. Whether you want to notify your team that they should finish a task at a particular time or you want to remind them of a pending assignment, Trello has got you covered. It is an important project management tool that every entrepreneur should include in his/her productivity arsenal.
3. Slack
Slack is a powerful communication tool. It works like an alternative to social media platforms like Google Hangouts and Facebook. This tool gives you and your team custom channels so that you can network and share ideas on how to move your business forward. Slack is integrated with apps like GitHub and Google Drive; thus, every business using this app will enjoy endless value.
Additionally, one good thing about Slack is that it lets your team interact with other teams in a community setting. This feature doesn’t exist in other communication tools on the market. It is really unique to Slack alone. On top of that, you can download the Slack app on your iOS, Windows, and Android phone and devices. The downloaded version is so that you don’t miss out on any conversation.
4. Toggl
Toggl is great for productivity management and time tracking. It is important to always measure your team’s performance and set KPIs for them on a regular basis. You can then use Toggl to track their performance in real-time. Regardless of the KPI you set for your team, Toggl will help you track it with ease. Since you run a small business, you don’t have to spend money hiring HR professionals to track the performance of your team.
With Toggl, you can track your team’s performance, whether remotely or they work hybrid. Additionally, if you pay your employees by the hour, Toggl is a nice time tracking tool. You don’t need to overpay or underpay any of your employees as soon as you use this tool.
5. MailChimp
If you have an email marketing business, very few tools give business owners in this niche freedom and flexibility like Mailchimp. Mailchimp is an automation email marketing tool that helps you send newsletter or mails to your customers. However, your team still needs to create the content and email list while Mailchimp does the rest on auto-pilot.
You can use Mailchimp to run a lead generation campaign. As soon as you start the campaign, before you know it, potential clients will convert to paying clients. One great feature of Mailchimp is that it has customizable templates that you can use to suit your preferences and business requirements. It also connects to popular e-commerce apps like Woocommerce and Shopify.
6. Canva
Content plays a huge role in businesses in today’s fast-paced and ever-dynamic business environment. Canva is a technology tool that you can use to create original and stunning images that will attract potential clients to become paying customers. Regardless of the content you have in mind, Canva gives you the freedom to choose from a range of lovely templates built into the tool. So, if you cannot afford to hire an in-house designer, you can leverage Canva to create stunning and presentable images that will wow your clients.
7. Streak
Streak is a tool that small businesses can use to manage emails, employees pipelines, and internal information. It works like Salesforce but a great tool that small businesses should include in their productivity arsenal. The good thing about using Streak is that the company offers a free version. You can use the free version to understand how the tool works before upgrading to the paid version. And that would be it for today’s article. If you have any questions you can reach out to us in the comment section.
Also Read: What Is PAM In Identity And Access Management
- Zero-Waste Grocery Shopping Guide: Small Steps to a Greener Cart - August 1, 2024
- Top 5 Google Workspace Backup Tools [Latest Guide - December 14, 2023
- The Top 12 PC Games of All Time: From Solitaire to Modern Masterpieces - December 3, 2023