As small business owners, it’s paramount that we’re using tools to help organize and streamline our business. After running a small business for 10+ years, there are certain business tools I can’t do without. Here are my top 12 that are very meaningful for my daily operations.
In some of the categories I also list a Runner Up. The Runner Up is an option that I’m not currently using, but have either used it in the past or have strongly considered using it. So without further ado, let’s jump in.
Accounting: Quickbooks Pro
Small businesses need to maintain their books. Quickbooks is the most popular small business accounting package. My accountant uses Quickbooks. My bookkeeper already knows Quickbooks. Although there can be a learning curve in using Quickbooks, I find it fairly intuitive. I can easily track multiple accounts and multiple companies within Quickbooks.
Runner Up: Fresh Books
Office Suite: Open-Office
OpenOffice includes the standard packages within an Office Suite. I chose Open-Office because it has all the same type of capabilities as MS-Office…and it’s free. It can read MS-Office files and save files as MS-Office documents. OpenOffice includes a word-processor, spreadsheet, presentation software, database, drawing program, and even a program to do scientific and formula equations (not sure if I’ll ever use that one).
Runner Up: MS-Office
Email: Thunderbird
Thunderbird is a free email program by Mozilla. It’s easy to set up, can handle multiple email accounts, and one can easily organize their inbox. It includes a plug-in for a calendar and a task list. I use both of them extensively.
Runner Up: Gmail
Browser: Firefox or Chrome
Small businesses need access to the Internet. My browser of choice is a toss up between Firefox andChrome. I’ve used Firefox for years, but within the past several months, I’ve found some very nice-to-have plugins for Chrome.
Organize Ideas/Thoughts/Lists/etc: Evernote
This is a great utility that helps me track ideas and thoughts. I place all my blog ideas into Evernote. Any ideas that I might want to spend more time on in the future go into Evernote. I can access Evernote from any computer. It’s installed on all laptops and my blackberry. I can capture audio, images, and notes using Evernote. If I am traveling, and an idea comes to mind and I can’t quickly type it into my Blackberry, I can record it on my Blackberry using the Evernote app. The next time I bring up Evernote on my laptop, I will find that same audio note. Beautiful. It’s also free.
Online Communication: Skype
I use Skype to communicate with individuals who are working on various projects for me. It’s a great tool to visually connect with them and, if needed, to see their desktop. I also use Skype for international calls. Did I mention it’s free?
Content Management System: WordPress
All small businesses need a website. WordPress has become the go-to system even for web designers whose clients want to update their site. If need be, find some training in WordPress to get you started or find a web designer who develops in WordPress. In the long run, WordPress gives you the most flexibility and options as you grow your business.
Email List Management: Aweber
There a number of options available to handle email lists. Aweber offers a robust set of options for handling any type of email newsletter or campaign. I used to use MailChimp. Due to recent changes in their pricing structure, I recently moved to Aweber. However, I still consider MailChimp a strong contender in this category.
Runner Up: MailChimp
Share Remote Desktops: Join.Me
If you ever need to remotely share design ideas or project ideas, troubleshoot hardware or software issues, collaborate on a project, Join.me lets you easily share desktops from remote locations.It’s free. It allows for multiple viewers. It even lets you take control of someone else’s desktop. It’s a great online option for troubleshooting hardware/software issues, sharing design/project ideas, collaborating on a project, etc.
Project Management: TeamLab
A very functional, intuitive, online option for Project Management is TeamLab. After months of looking for a Project Management Tool that meets our needs, I was pleasantly surprised just a couple of weeks ago when I ran across this option. It not only handles project management, but it also has document management (create, edit, and share documents online), client relations management (see next section), and chat rooms. The Project Management functionality gives team members from around the world a central location to preview tasks, update status of projects, and communicate with other team members.
Client Relations Management: TeamLab
A Client (or customer) Relations Management tool tracks and documents client interactions. TeamLabhas a very robust and easy-to-use CRM tool. Contact information, types of interaction, notes, files, and correspondence can can all be tracked for each client. It provides an easily accessible central location for team members to preview all interactions with a client.
Data Backup: Amazon S3
I waited too long to implement this for my company. After a couple of near-disasters, I now am usingAmazon S3 to store my back ups. I use the S3 Backup free utility that automatically runs daily to backup my all data to an Amazon S3 Server. The costs for storing the data is under $1/month. Costs are determined by the amount of storage needed.
What am I missing? What are your essential small business tools?
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