Developing a startup is a daunting task. It is not only time consuming but requires the owners to juggle different software and apps for their own use as well as marketing and development of their product. As a result, many new startups fail because they lack the resources to continually update and perfect their product. Cool Apps for Startups is a guide designed to help people with little time or resources jump-start their startup by using both free and paid apps that can be used on most devices. With this book, your startup will be on its way to success.
Cool Applications for Startups is a guide that breaks down the process of building effective mobile apps. This book draws on the author’s experience in the startup world, and gives you the tips to make your mobile app stand out.
GoCo
For many small businesses, HR can be a mysterious thing. It’s complex, tricky to navigate, and often filled with paperwork. If you’re in a startup environment, it can be difficult to dedicate the headspace (and personnel) that are necessary to do a great job. The good news is that there are all-in-one platforms to help you meet your company’s needs.
GoCo.io is a platform that moves human resources and benefits to the cloud, streamlining employee onboarding and offboarding, time-tracking, performance management, benefits administration, document management, and compliance. It also works with some of the payroll and management software and productivity apps – we’ll get into later in this article, giving you the HR capabilities you need without all the paperwork.
Automate.io.
Create complex multi-step workflows (“Bots”) across applications. Automate manual tasks through custom triggers and actions to keep all your systems up-to-date.
How you could use it: Make sure none of your leads slip through the cracks by creating workflows that automatically update your internal systems, notify the appropriate internal stakeholders, and nurture your leads towards taking certain actions.
MagneticOne.
Take photos of business cards with a smartphone to automatically add a new contact into the CRM. MagneticOne recognizes cards in 25+ languages — making it an easy solution no matter where you go.
How you could use it: Take photos of business cards at conferences or events and automatically add a new contact into the CRM.
Microsoft Power BI
As your startup finds its footing, you’ll need to analyze data and disseminate information to employees in palatable ways. Microsoft Power BI (Visit Site at Microsoft Power BI) gives you access to a wide variety of ways to monitor real-time data and trends for marketing campaigns, business performance, overall spending, and more. Best of all: the desktop and mobile software is free up to 1 GB. To view and update these interactive charts on your smartphone, download the mobile Android or iOS app.
X-Cart
If you plan on selling any of your products online, then you’ll need a solid e-commerce tool. X-Cart (Visit Site at Microsoft Power BI) offers a free plan that lets you build a website with responsive design, a search engine optimization (SEO)-friendly catalog, and a host of add-on modules that you can pay for a la carte. With X-Cart’s iOS app, you can check your dashboard for sales stats and current orders, send messages to customers, and more. Unfortunately, X-Cart is not available on Android devices.
Evernote Scannable
As much as most of us would love to live in a paper-free world, not all of us have gotten the email memo. Evernote Scannable (Visit Site at Microsoft Power BI) lets you quickly scan business cards, documents, meeting notes, and any other paper-based file via your smartphone camera. You’ll be able to share the file, upload it to LinkedIn, upload to the cloud, and upload it anywhere else your smartphone can access. The tool is completely free and available on Android and iOS.
Zoho CRM
Keeping track of your sales leads and your sales staff can be tricky. Thankfully, customer relationship management (CRM) tools exist to help you manage all of the sales and service data your business produces. Unfortunately, these databases can be quite expensive. Zoho CRM (Visit Site at Microsoft Power BI) aims to solve that problem. This free CRM tool isn’t robust by any means, but it offers your startup access for 10 users, basic sales lead, marketing, and customer-support automation as well as limited reporting and forecasting tools.
Zapier.
Zapier allows you to automate your workflow by connecting all your favorite apps. With over a thousand tools to choose from plus customizable triggers and actions, it’s easy to automate manual processes in your daily work.
How you could use it: Keep all the your contacts and leads in one system by setting up “Zaps” to automatically sync contacts to keep your email lists up-to-date.
“Zapier enables us to distribute HubSpot data seamlessly between all of our systems and build in-house processes that just were not possible for us before. It’s amazing how much company time and money you can save with something that just takes a couple of minutes to build.” – Stefan Milev, CMO, Taylor & Hart
Goodhire
When it comes to growing your startup, one of the biggest pieces of advice you’ll get over and over again is to hire the right people. The problem is that there’s a lot that can go into that process: from reference and employment checks to pre-hire skill tests, there’s a lot that you probably want to know about someone before you decide to bring them onto your team. GoodHire helps you figure it all out with just a few clicks on your device, and gets everything back to you in less than 24 hours.
Slack.
Slack is a digital workplace that increases efficiency by connecting you to the people, tools, and information you need to get work done and drive communication effectively.
How you could use it:Leverage Slack for organized conversations, searchable histories, and over 1,000 apps to connect your workplaces. Divide channels by teams or projects. Share files, create tasks, and receive notifications directly within Slack to stay up-to-date on all of your contacts.
Conclusion
Cool Apps for Startups is the easiest way to monitor your startup’s App Store presence. We make it easy to see what’s hot, monitor competitors, and get insights into key trends in the startup community.