Small businesses need to work smarter, not harder. Luckily, there are many tool for small business available to help streamline workflow and increase efficiency.
Project management tools for small business
Project management tools can help small businesses
stay organized and on track. Here are some of the best project management
tools.
Trello
Trello is a kanban-based collaboration and task
management tool that is perfect for all kinds of projects or teams. It is
a free organization, planning, and project management tool based on a ‘kanban’
board, which is a visual way of managing the workflow. Trello is a great
tool for small business because it is easy to use, intuitive, and offers an
extensive list of features under its free plan. Here are some ways small
businesses can use Trello for project management:
·
Scheduling blog
content: Small businesses can use Trello to organize ideas for blog posts and
schedule content.
·
Team
collaboration: Trello is a collaboration tool that allows team members to work
together on projects and tasks.
·
Personal to-do
list: Trello can be used as a personal to-do list to keep track of tasks and
deadlines.
·
Customization:
Trello is highly customizable, allowing small businesses to tailor it to their
specific needs and preferences.
To make the most of Trello, small businesses should
start slow and get used to the features as they go. They can also learn
from others and leverage expert tips to help them use Trello more effectively
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Asana
Asana is a project management tool for small business that
can be used to improve growth and efficiency.
·
Coordinate
projects: Asana allows you to assign, distribute, and keep track of work
effortlessly, so everyone can hit their most important deliverables. You can
also create repeatable processes to reduce silos and keep everyone aligned
across tools and teams.
·
Manage large and
cross-team projects: Asana allows you to manage projects, resources, and
workloads across your entire company. You can connect company goals and the
work to support them in one place, so you can see progress in real time and
keep teams on track. You can also use portfolios to organize strategic
initiatives and monitor the status of all your important projects in one place.
·
Manage virtually
every aspect of your business: Asana is much more than project and task
management software. You can use it to manage virtually every aspect of your
business, from client projects to your own business deadlines to content
preparation for your blog and podcast.
·
Create project
schedules: Asana allows you to build project schedules and share status updates
with your team. You can also prepare for your next project and access more
project management resources.
·
Get real-time
insight into the state of your team’s work: Asana allows you to gauge progress
across projects and teams, troubleshoot problems instantly, and keep work on
track – all in one place. You can also eliminate disorganized processes that
knock initiatives off course.
Overall, Asana is one of the best project management software and tools for
small business. It provides a full work management solution that supports the
dynamic, changing needs of enterprise companies. Asana connects all the work
your company is doing to your highest-level goals and business strategy, and it
can support your project management work as your company grows and expands.
Monday.com
Monday.com is cloud-based project management software
that can help small businesses manage their projects and processes in one place. It
offers a wide range of features that can help small businesses stay organized
and on track, including task management, team collaboration, file sharing, and
real-time communication.
·
Customizable
templates: Monday.com provides hundreds of useful templates that make launching
any project feel easy, but how you customize those is entirely up to you.
·
Real-time
comments: This feature allows team members to communicate with each other in
real-time, making it easy to stay on top of project updates and changes.
·
Customizable
project boards: Monday.com offers customizable project boards that allow you to
organize your tasks and projects in a way that makes sense for your business.
·
Real-time status
tracking: This feature allows you to track the progress of your projects in
real-time, making it easy to see where things stand at any given moment.
·
Various views:
Monday.com offers various views, such as kanban boards and Gantt charts, that
can help you visualize your projects and tasks in different ways.
·
Automations:
Monday.com allows you to automate your workflow, freeing up time for you and
your team to focus on more important tasks.
·
Integrations:
Monday.com integrates with many other tools and platforms, making it easy to
centralize your data in one place.
Overall, Monday.com is a work OS that can help small businesses
manage their projects, customer relationships, and collaboration in one place. Its
wide-ranging choice of tools for small business can help with project
management, customer relationship management, and collaboration, making it
easier to manage SB. With Monday.com, even non-technical staff can quickly
learn the interface, even without using tutorials, and all buttons are
self-explanatory.
Accounting tools for small business
Small businesses can benefit from using various tools
to boost productivity and efficiency. Accounting software is one such tool that
can help small businesses keep track of their finances. Small businesses can
choose the accounting software that best suits their needs based on factors
such as features, pricing, customer support, and reviews.
QuickBooks
QuickBooks is an accounting tool for small business to
increase growth and efficiency. QuickBooks offers 6 accounting products, but
one of its online accounting plans will be the best choice for most small
businesses:
·
Ease of use:
QuickBooks is very user-friendly and easy to use, even for people who do not
have an accounting background.
·
Organization:
QuickBooks allows you to track and manage your whole financial picture in one
place, including bank transactions, expenses, and beyond. All of your bank and
credit card transactions automatically sync to QuickBooks to help you
seamlessly track income and expenses.
·
Invoicing:
QuickBooks allows you to easily create an invoice and track it with their
invoice management tools. You can also send invoices your customers can pay
instantly online with flexible payment methods.
·
Financial reports:
QuickBooks offers dozens of financial reports available to help you see where
your business stands. You can view your profit and loss anywhere and keep your
small business bookkeeping organized.
·
Payroll:
QuickBooks offers payroll software that can help you manage your team and
automate your business.
·
Guided setup:
QuickBooks offers a free guided setup that can help you connect your banks and
credit cards, automate the tasks you perform most, and manage your growing
business with automated billing features.
Freelancers and independent contractors may opt for
simpler options, while larger small businesses might turn to QuickBooks
products with advanced inventory, sales, and reporting features. QuickBooks is
the #1 rated small business accounting software, and 88% of customers say
QuickBooks helps their business be more successful.
Xero
Xero is an online accounting software tool for small
business to make it easier. It automates tasks that used to take up a lot of
time, such as reconciling bank transactions and sending invoice reminders,
which helps small business owners take control of their finances while focusing
on their business. Xero also provides analytics that allow small business
owners to have confidence in their numbers, as data is protected and stored in
one place.
In addition to its core accounting solution, Xero also
has an extensive ecosystem of connected apps and connections to banks and other
financial institutions, which helps small businesses access a range of
solutions from within Xero’s open platform to help them run their business and
manage their finances. Xero has over 1,000 apps that seamlessly integrate with
its platform, including inventory, CRM, and time tracking apps.
Xero offers guides and templates to help start, run,
and grow small businesses. Its small business experts have created handy tools
to start up and stay up, such as the Xero 101 video series, which provides a
gentle introduction to getting up and running on Xero. Xero also offers
webinars, business and mental health resources, and a community to share
experiences.
Overall, Xero is a powerful tool for small business
growth and efficiency, as it automates tasks, provides analytics, and offers a
range of solutions through its open platform and ecosystem of connected apps.
FreshBooks
FreshBooks is an online accounting tool for small
business, freelancers, and independent contractors. It’s a cloud-based software
that allows users to send invoices, track time, manage receipts, expenses, and
accept credit cards.
·
Invoicing:
FreshBooks allows users to create professional invoices in seconds, track and
bill expenses, send automatic reminders, and much more.
·
Expense tracking:
FreshBooks tracks every dollar in and out of your business so you can run
reports anytime to see how business is going.
·
Double-entry accounting:
FreshBooks offers a well-rounded, intuitive, and attractive double-entry
accounting experience.
·
Mobile app:
FreshBooks offers an iOS/Android app, which allows users to take control of
their business bookkeeping on-the-go.
FreshBooks is known for its intuitive interface that’s
easy to navigate. It offers solid phone support and customizable invoicing
features. After testing out a free 30-day trial, users can choose from one of 4
FreshBooks plans. The best option depends on the size and complexity of the
business. FreshBooks also has a support page that can help with account setup,
and video webinars explain how to use the software and its bookkeeping features.
Overall, FreshBooks is a great tool for small business,
freelancers, and independent contractors who want to stay organized and keep
track of their finances.
CRM tools for small business
Small businesses need to invest in the right areas to
grow their operations, build their bottom line, and get more customers. One
area that can help with this is customer relationship management (CRM)
software. A good CRM system can help small businesses organize and streamline
their business processes, identify where to concentrate work, and make them
better. Here are some of the best CRM tools for small business.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a top CRM solution that is adaptable to
any sector and business size. Salesforce CRM has approximately 1500 clients,
including Amazon, Accenture, Adidas, and American Express, who use its CRM
services. Salesforce Essentials is a cloud-first CRM system for smaller
businesses that enables users to manage leads, prospects, sales funnels, and
more.
Salesforce provides enhanced features that accelerate
growth and is especially great for small businesses. The Salesforce Small
Business CRM has 4 plans with 3 distinct tiers, including the entry-level
Essentials edition, which includes everything you’ll need from a CRM to run
your business efficiently from one cloud-based platform. Salesforce is far from
a difficult product to set up and use in a small business setting, even for
first-time CRM account owners. A CRM platform like Salesforce enables true and
popular customer relationship management, supporting your business and
delivering the speed and scalability that a fast-growing enterprise needs.
Overall, Salesforce can be a valuable tool for small
business looking to manage customer and account information, close more sales
deals, and improve customer support. It offers a range of features and plans to
suit different business needs and can help small businesses accelerate growth
and improve efficiency.
HubSpot
HubSpot is a great CRM tool for small business to grow
and become more efficient.
·
Adaptable:
HubSpot’s platform is designed to adapt with companies as they innovate and
expand, making it a great choice for growing businesses.
·
Easy to use:
HubSpot is crafted to empower small businesses with tools to tackle all aspects
of marketing, sales, customer service, website management, and operations tools.
It is built to be easy to use for growing businesses.
·
24/7 customer
support: HubSpot offers 24/7 customer support to help you make the most of your
new software.
·
Free plans:
HubSpot offers forever-free plans for its sales, marketing, and service hubs.
As your business grows, you can upgrade to a premium version containing more
features.
·
Educational
resources: HubSpot offers plenty of educational resources and customer support
to help small businesses grow better.
·
Pipeline
management tool: HubSpot’s pipeline management tool helps small businesses
manage their pipeline and never let a deal slip through the cracks.
·
Real-time sales
activity tracking: HubSpot allows small businesses to track and analyze sales
activity in real time, giving them a real-time view of their entire sales
pipeline on a visual dashboard.
Overall, HubSpot is a powerful tool for small business
to tackle all their CRM aspects.
Zoho
Zoho is a CRM tool for small business to grow and
improve their efficiency.
·
Easy to use:
Zoho CRM has a streamlined, easy-to-use interface that can help small
businesses start selling quickly.
·
Customizable:
Zoho CRM offers a wide range of customization options that can be leveraged to
fit small business processes without coding knowledge or the help of a
technical team.
·
Quick onboarding:
Zoho CRM offers a streamlined migration process that lets small businesses
migrate all their sales data from existing spreadsheets and contact managers
quickly without any additional costs.
·
Secure and
reliable: Zoho CRM features encryption, audit logs, IP restrictions, and 2-factor
authentication to protect small business data and only allow access to
authorized users.
·
Free version
available: Zoho CRM offers a free edition that can support up to 3 users and
offers critical features such as leads, deals, and contact management, tasks and
events, multichannel marketing, and integrations to other Zoho apps.
Zoho CRM was rated as the best CRM system of 2022.
With Zoho CRM, small businesses can manage their sales, marketing, and support
in one platform, automate workflows and processes, and get more done in less
time.
Email marketing tools for small business
If you are looking for an email marketing tool for
your small business, there are several options available. Each of these email
marketing tools has its own strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to
consider your specific needs and budget when choosing the best tool for your
small business.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp is an all-in-one marketing platform that
offers tools and insights to help small businesses grow and compete with larger
companies. The platform provides affordable, data-powered marketing tools that
are scalable based on business needs. Mailchimp’s audience dashboard makes it
easy to spot trends, target messages, and improve marketing with each campaign.
The platform also offers flexible templates and user-friendly design tools to
create beautiful, sophisticated campaigns. Mailchimp’s marketing CRM software
allows small businesses to understand their customers, data, and make their
marketing budget go further. The software enables businesses to segment
customers and create custom messaging based on location and behavior. Mailchimp
provides marketing tips, strategies, and best practices to help small
businesses reach their goals. The platform’s all-in-one marketing solution is
designed to help businesses create multichannel campaigns that reach their
audience where they are. Overall, Mailchimp is a valuable tool for small
business looking to grow and improve their marketing efficiency.
Constant Contact
Constant Contact is an email marketing for small
business to grow and improve their efficiency. With intuitive dashboards,
Constant Contact allows businesses to analyze their email and social
performance, compare campaign results, and track online sales. The platform
offers easy-to-use tools to craft the perfect message, including AI and
advanced automation tools that can generate content options and recommended
subject lines. Constant Contact also provides access to professionally-designed
email templates, ensuring that businesses look professional when their emails
land in their customers’ inboxes. The platform can be used to sell to
prospects, boost referrals, upsell to current customers, and even re-engage
customers that have not purchased from the business in a while. Constant
Contact also offers a team of marketing advisors to help businesses get started
quickly, regardless of their level of marketing experience or expertise. The
platform is secure, with all account, credit card, and subscriber information
and content encrypted via SSL connections over HTTPS. With Constant Contact,
small businesses can build their customer base with enticing sign-up forms, get
to know their customers with surveys and polls, and even text their customers
to keep in touch.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is yet another email marketing tool for
small business’s growth and efficiency.
·
User-friendly
interface: ConvertKit has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to
create landing pages, automations, and sign-up forms to build your brand
authority in minutes.
·
Comprehensive
scope: ConvertKit is much more than an email marketing tool. You can also
create landing pages, automations, and sign-up forms to build your brand
authority in minutes.
·
Startup commerce
support: If you’re unsure how to launch your e-store, you can use ConvertKit’s
commerce support functionality and create e-commerce landing pages as you grow
and scale.
·
Automations:
ConvertKit’s email automations can help small businesses save time and effort
by automating tedious tasks such as sending welcome series to onboard new
subscribers, launching a product, or offering a daily email course.
·
A/B testing:
ConvertKit allows users to test 2 different email subject lines to 30% of their
list and automatically deliver the winning copy to the rest.
·
Low cost:
ConvertKit offers a free plan for users with up to 1,000 subscribers, and its
paid plans start at $29/month for up to 1,000 subscribers.
Overall, ConvertKit can be a valuable tool for small
business looking to improve their email marketing efforts.
SMM tools for small business
There are several social media management (SMM) tools for
small business. Here are some of the most popular ones. SMM tools can help
small businesses save time and increase efficiency by managing all social media
accounts in one place, scheduling posts, and tracking engagement.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is an SMM tool for small business to save
time and grow online presence. It provides a single dashboard where users can
publish and schedule messages to all their social media channels, engage with
their audience, and measure their campaign performance. Hootsuite is also
packed with features that help businesses perform better on social media, such
as insights on when their audience is most active and the ability to view stats
on all their social accounts in one place.
·
Publish and
schedule messages: From a single dashboard, users can publish and schedule
messages to all their social media channels, saving them time and effort.
·
Engage with
their audience: Hootsuite allows users to engage with their audience by
responding to comments and messages across all their social media channels from
one place.
·
Measure campaign
performance: Hootsuite provides users with insights on their social media
performance, such as engagement rates and follower growth, so they can adjust
their strategy accordingly.
·
Stay competitive:
Hootsuite can help small businesses stay competitive by providing them with the
tools they need to manage their social media presence effectively.
·
Learn from
others: Hootsuite has a wealth of resources available to help small businesses
learn from others who have successfully used social media to grow their
business.
Overall, Hootsuite provides a comprehensive platform
that allows users to manage their social media presence across multiple
accounts and keywords, connect with over 35 social media networks, and
bulk-schedule social media posts.
Buffer
Buffer is a free SMM tool for small business to manage
social media accounts.
·
Build an engaged
audience: Buffer can help businesses grow their following by sharing their content
on the right channels with suggested hashtags.
·
Save time:
Buffer can publish everything for businesses to save time and showcase their
work with automated reports.
·
Coordinate with
ease: Buffer’s permissions levels and approval flows make collaboration easier
for teams to work freely without any micro-management.
Buffer can help small businesses in several ways, such
as:
·
Personalized
experience: People typically choose a small business over a big-name company
because they value the personalized experience and unique character of the
business itself. Small businesses can use social media to showcase their unique
character and connect with their audience.
·
Financial
support: Social media can be a lifeline for small businesses, especially during
times of financial hardship. Social media can help small businesses reach their
audience and promote their products/services.
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a SMM tool for small business to grow
and improve their efficiency. With nearly 10,000 small and medium-sized
businesses using the platform, Sprout Social is designed to move at the speed
of social media and grow with your brand. The platform offers tools and
partners that can help any business, regardless of budget, extract real
business value from social media and turn their brand into a household name.
Sprout Social’s analytics and dashboards encourage a goal-driven approach to
social media for business, allowing businesses to have a constant pulse on
what’s working, what’s not, and what they should do next. Additionally, Sprout
Social offers a specific SMM package for small businesses, providing
entrepreneurs with a price-conscious package that accesses their exceptional
content management, social listening, and more. With Sprout Social, small
businesses can reimagine how social media can grow their business and unlock
the full potential of social to transform not just their marketing strategy,
but every area of their organization.
These tools can help with productivity, task
management, analytics, business development, and more. By using these tools,
small businesses can automate their operations, keep their information
up-to-date and secure, and stay competitive in the marketplace.
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