Being a small business owner requires a great deal of work, especially when you have lots to do but limited support and hours in a day.
Here is a list of free or low-cost tools that can help you better manage your business:
1. Project Management – Trello
Trello allows you to view your project goals, tasks and assignments in a single glance. By using the visual boards, you can collaborate with an unlimited amount of people, drop and drag cards and create checklists for better project management. Trello offers a free version that integrates with Dropbox and a Business Class version for under $9.
2.File Management – Dropbox
Access documents, photos, videos and music from anywhere using Dropbox. If you have large files to share, you can upload to your Dropbox account, and give the link with anyone. Dropbox Basic is free for individuals offering 2GB of storage space and 30 days of unlimited file recovery. Paid plans are available which offer more storage space and additional features like password protected links.
3.Financial Management – Wave
Wave is a free cloud-based small business accounting software that can generate accounting reports, like balance sheets and accounts payable reports. It also supports billing and invoice reminders and payroll integration. Wave can by synced up to online payment systems, like PayPal or your bank account.
4.Communication – Google Voice
Google Voice provides a centralized way to manage your phone numbers. Google Voice provides a telephone number based on you selected area code. Users can make calls and texts and receive calls through the web portal. Google Voice also transcribes voicemails to text and lets you forward calls to another number.
5.Human Resources – Zenefits
Zenefits is a human resources information system offering free management services. Zenefits covers human resource tasks, like payroll, benefits, time, staff and compliance for the Affordable Care Act and COBRA. It also provides management solutions, like paystubs, employee handbooks and tax withholding forms.
6.Email Management – MailChimp
MailChimp is an email marketing service that lets users create, design, share and track several email newsletters. MailChimp offers pre-designed templates or allows you to enter your own HTML code from any location. Users can track the open rate, click-through and various analytics through their custom reports dashboard. MailChimp is free to users with up to 2,000 subscribers and allows for 12,000 emails per month.
What business tools would you add to this list?
