Learn about small business tools and resources! The top list of digital marketing software and small business tech tool. This is a new type of marketing software that enables marketing decisions by changing the sequence, frequency, or even removing marketing messages within specified segments of your database of customers. This marketing tool for business provides you with smart marketing decisions helping you learn from your target audience to improve your marketing campaigns, product offerings, and consumer experience.
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Financial Resources: Funding
The most important element in starting a business is funding. Even the most basic home business incurs a multitude of startup costs, including registering a business name, obtaining a business telephone line and printing business cards.
Financial resources can be obtained from a variety of sources, the easiest being from the personal accounts of the company’s founder. Alternatively, loans and lines of credit may be granted from financial institutions, friends and relatives, private investors and even the United States government. In addition, many grants are offered from private and public sources to entrepreneurs of all demographics and personal situations.
Human Resources: Employees
The success of an organization is heavily reliant on the talent and strength of its employees. The hiring of experienced professionals with track records of excellence within their area of expertise ensures that the mission and goals of the company will be carried out efficiently and with competence. Strong team members can be recruited using a variety of methods. Staffing agencies and executive search firms specialize in placing talent of all levels within every industry. An alternative is to find employees through referrals from individuals whose judgment is trusted.
Educational Resources: Industry Know How
Perhaps the greatest thing an entrepreneur can do when establishing a new business is to gain as much education possible. By understanding her competition and gaining an in-depth knowledge of her industry, she will be better prepared to make smarter decisions regarding the direction of her firm. Educational resources can be found through professional trade associations that are geared toward her industry, her local chamber of commerce as well as the Small Business Administration.
Physical Resources: Premises and Equipment
Whether a small home business or a retail operation with multiple locations, every organization must have the appropriate physical resources to survive. This includes a proper work space, working telephone line, adequate information systems and effective marketing materials. This aspect of business planning can be one of the costliest. As such, it is important for an entrepreneur to realistically assess his needs before making any purchases.
Emotional Resources: Support Systems
Starting a business can be an extremely stressful endeavor for an entrepreneur to undertake. To maintain her sanity as well as stay motivated, it is important she have a support team that can give her inspirations and guidance as needed. This team may be composed of friends and family as well as a mentor or professional group.
Accounting & Finance
As a small business, it’s important to have an efficient system to track sales transactions and employee payroll. Here’s a few online tools that can help your small business:
- Gusto – an online payroll and benefits platform designed for modern businesses. Gusto makes payroll for your small business simple and affordable. Try 2 months free.
- Wave – a great resource for fast and easy online accounting for your small business. It’s made for entrepreneurs and small businesses with less than 9 employees.
- Xero – the online accounting software alternative to Quickbooks. It features lots of time saving tools you need to grow your small business.
Customer Support
Pleasing your customers is one of the most important roles as a small business. Here are a few online tools that can help you provide excellent customer service support:
- Desk – customer support software that makes customers happy. Features business tools that grow with you including multi-channel support and productivity tips.
- Nextiva – business phone solutions for small business owners. Nextiva boasts enterprise-class technology on a small business budget.
- Olark – give your customers the answers they need, before they leave. Olark allows small businesses to chat with visitors on their site, solving problems and making sales.
Design
Design elements are crucial to draw in customers through marketing efforts. Here are some online tools that can help you create effective and compelling designs:
- Canva – easily create beautiful and professional looking designs for your marketing strategy. Canva’s suite of online design tools are perfect for small businesses.
- Pablo – social media images made simple. Easily format images and annotate your message to create easily shareable graphics for your social media presence.
- Pixlr – online suite of image editing tools. Pixlr’s online tools are great for small businesses and allows you to create professional graphics easily and affordably.
Legal
Owning and operating a small business is a lot of work, and these online resources will help you make sure you are following all laws and regulations:
- Docracy – the web’s only open collection of legal contracts and the best way to negotiate and sign documents online. These online tools will help you operate legally and effectively.
- Rocket Lawyer – online legal documents and advice. These online tools can help you incorporate your business or stay in compliance.
- SuretyBonds.com – the nation’s leading resource for surety bond information that helps small business owners get their business license.
Marketing
Marketing efforts are key to making sure your business’s content is seen by users. Here are some marketing hacks to help get you noticed and generate leads:
- MOZ Tools – the best tools for online marketing and local small business marketing. Stay ahead of your competition with MOZ’s online tools for SEO and local marketing.
- Buzzsumo – online content research tool. Buzzsumo allows you to research what’s popular online and how that content can relate to your business.
- Optimizely – website testing tool to optimize experiences for your customers. Create the best experience for your visitors using Optimizely’s online testing tools.
Operations
These operations tools will help your small business increase performance efficiency and productivity:
- Bplans – starting a business made easy. Check out Bplans’ complete guide to business planning to outline your growth plan.
- Zoho – the operating system for business. Zoho’s online tools for managing your business.
- Google Apps – best online productivity tools for small businesses. Google’s suite of apps for small business are perfect for collaborating and operating efficiently.
Sales
Sales is often a stressful task that is critical to maintain your cash flow, and these technologies can make life much easier for your sales team:
- Spiro – your personal sales assistant. This management tool helps you stay in touch with sales prospects and close more sales.
- Square – making commerce easy. This simple POS systems for small businesses features tools for every type of business.
- Shoeboxed – organizes sales documents and receipts and turn them into data. This online tool helps you digitize your physical sales docs.
Conclusion
Having a successful and profitable small business remains a goal for just about everyone. And, if you’re like most individuals you probably want to start your own small business or at least do something to better your current one. Well, now is the time. Below we have outlined (in our opinion) some of the best possible patterns and/or approaches for starting small businesses as well as converting existing ones into more profitable operations.