10 Best Tools for Small Businesses You Probably Haven’t Seen
This title is important because I see similar articles that lead with “Google” – as if there’s a business owner (or anyone) that hasn’t used Google yet.
C’mon man!
That’s not helpful. You, article author, just didn’t want to do more research so you put in the most obvious choice.
If that is followed by “use Facebook,” I quit reading immediately. If I could blacklist the author, I would. Not helpful, guy.
Everyone knows about Google and Facebook. The small business owners might not know about other super useful tools that could save them a ton of time and/or money.
That’s why I wrote this to be the 10 Best Tools for Small Businesses You Probably Haven’t Seen:
0 – Xero
See what I did there? Clever.
You have to pay employees and keep track of the books you aren’t cooking (right?). Xero is simple, intuitive and feature-rich.
Accounting shouldn’t be an arduous task. Thanks to Xero, it’s not bad.
1 – SignNow
More affordable than reams of paper. Reduces paper use and moves documents securely.
This service also has mobile apps and integrates with many cloud storage providers including Google Drive, Dropbox and Box.
2 – Zapier
SOOOO many uses! This service is incredible. Just check it out. It will blow your mind.
3 – HR Cloud
Less paper, streamline onboarding of employees, don’t worry about paperwork nightmares or having to hire a fleet of HR people to manage issues.
4 – SmarterQueue
You already know about HootSuite and Buffer. Now, it’s time to automate social media posting for better use of your time.
5 – Fiverr
This isn’t on here because you haven’t heard of it, but because you may not know how to effectively use it.
Outsourcing can be very tricky, but it is often the best way to get tasks completed quicker.
You’re going to need to know how to outsource – which can be a trial and error process. Reading these articles will help though.
6 – Tawk.to
Free messaging app for your website! We use it and love it.
7 – Toggl
We should be spending fewer hours at the office, but getting more done. If you have remote workers or contractors this tool is vital.
Track the time spent on each project so you know how much you need to pay your contractors and freelancers
8 – Sideline
2018 businesses don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on phone systems and monthly plans.
Sideline offers smart business phone plans that are simple and affordable ($10/month/user).
No new devices needed. Keep work and personal separate using your smartphone.
9 – Calendly
Google Calendar integration. Excellent for meetings management. Time-box meetings. Let people book a spot on your calendar. Fantastic.
10 – Streak and Rebump for Gmail
I cheated again, this time with a two-fer. You’ll be glad I did though. Upgrade your email game!
Streak simplifies CRM by putting it INSIDE Gmail with email tracking! Rebump is incredible for follow-ups and getting to that sale.
Those are the 10 (12) best tools for small businesses as of this writing in January 2018.
BONUS: The ones I think are too obvious to get an official spot.
Slack – best team communication tool. End the email thread nightmare.
Trello – excellent for sprint planning. Your company is agile, yes? Good.
Asana – Smart to-do list with teams
Mailchimp – You’re going to need email capture. Excellent tool for email newsletters and campaigns.
Google Drive / Dropbox – We don’t still have floppy drives for a reason.
Of course, using all 10 (12) best tools for small businesses doesn’t matter if you don’t have a website (or the one you have is so old/bad people leave it immediately because they think your business must be as bad as your site).
I happen to know a website designer and developer you can hire.
All the best to you small business owners! Let us know if we can help answer your marketing questions.
