If you are considering starting a business, it is important to identify what tools you need in order to get started. There are six basic tools that every business needs: knowledge, finances, plan, people, time and motivation. While you don’t need all of these tools to get started initially, it is important to recognize which ones you do not have and either work on obtaining them or be realistic about your ability to do so. The following information will hopefully help give you a better understanding of these essential tools and how they can help your business be successful.
Research center – Research is an important process in creating a business. Research can be done online, with the help of professionals and the local government office. Research centers, such as SBA and SCORE, can provide additional information on starting a business and help with the development of a proposal for funding.
UpHabit
One of the most important parts of starting a business is the network you have behind you. From potential investors, employees, clients, or customers, the people in your network can be your biggest supporters and build the foundation for your business.
But managing and staying accountable to all your relationships and connections can be a challenge all by itself. But with the help of UpHabit, staying connected and building better relationships can become an easy and enjoyable part of your day.
UpHabit is the Personal CRM for thoughtful Super Connectors and those who aspire to be one. That includes entrepreneurs who need a strong network to help build their dream business. With a range of features, from Reminders to keep you in touch, Notes to develop relations, Tags to organize, and social media integration, UpHabit takes the work out of networking. But don’t just take it from us.
Slack
No entrepreneur can do everything by themselves; we all need a team to help us get things done. Keeping in touch with teams or one-on-one is key, and sending emails or having phone calls just doesn’t cut it.
To communicate efficiently and stay organized, entrepreneur and author Jon Nastor recommends Slack. With a smooth design and a mobile app, Slack allows for quick and easy communication. It’s easy to create several channels for different topics and teams or have private messages between any number of team members. Messages automatically sync across devices, making it even easier to move across your phone, desktop, or laptop.
With a range of intuitive features, such as the ability to quickly share files, search chats, integrate with other apps, and save messages, Slack removes the need for tedious emails or phone calls.
WordPress
In today’s online world, an attractive and effective website is a must for any business. Using a DIY website builder is inexpensive and the vast array of options available makes it easy to craft a website around your needs.
Serial entrepreneur and author Alejandro Cremandes points to WordPress as the go-to option for small businesses. WordPress offers leading customizability and built-in tools for any business.
Looking to blog? WordPress offers the best blogging experience and SEO tools. Looking to sell products? With a couple of the thousands of available plugins, WordPress can become an eCommerce solution. And as you scale your business, your website will be able to grow with you.
Google Suite
Google is well known for its search engine and marketing capabilities. But using their experience with email services and online applications, Google built G Suite, a collection of online tools to help your business function from a central account. In his article for Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur and Angel Investor Andrew Medal recommends it for every small business.
Ranging from email accounts, document management, cloud storage, and collaborative document creation, G Suite offers the basic needs of any small business. Users will be familiar with the functionality of Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and Google Calendars.
G Suite allows you to create a branded email address, integrate seamlessly with other Google features, and connect with other vital apps, such as Zoom, Trello, and Salesforce. And with flexible monthly subscriptions for businesses, it provides any size business the tools it needs.
Intercom
In a software or website based business, it’s often very difficult to communicate with your customers. Receiving feedback, education customers, and dealing with complaints are crucial to maintaining a loyal customer base.
Martin Jones, a marketing expert, puts Intercom on his list of must-have tools for small businesses and startups. Intercom is a conversational relationship platform that uses its live chat feature to help companies engage with customers.
By making it easier to engage with users, Intercom allows for greater customer satisfaction, greater feedback, more opportunities for education, and an overall better product experience. As a start-up, continued feedback and engagement can be priceless when developing and improving your product.
Online business plan services
The key to launching any successful business is having a solid plan in place to follow. One option many entrepreneurs turn to for assistance is online business plan services. The services providea number of tools and templates needed to transform a good idea into a profitable venture. Some of the tools include financial calculatorsand chart generators to help crunch numbers and illustrate the business’ vision in a quantifiable manner. They also feature performance graphs and goal achievement monitors that let entrepreneurs track their progress and make necessary changes to the business as issues arise.
Shopping cart software
Having a website is only half the equation for businesses that want to use the Internet to sell their products and services. To accept payments via a website, the site must have shopping cart software. The software is designed to offer credit card processing, as well as check, PayPal or other methods of processing payments. The software also provides shoppers tools for calculating the costs of shipping and taxes. In addition to letting customers purchase items online, the software provides businesses options for keeping track of inventory and generating reports automatically.
Credit card processing
In today’s world, cash is no longer king. Shoppers have traded it for debit and credit cards, and they expect to use them everywhere. Credit card processing services allow businesses to accept all forms of payment, such as major credit cards, debit cards, electronic checks and traditional checks, anywhere and anytime. The services also use encryption technology to ensure each shopper’s personal information is protected, and offer protection against credit card fraud for the business itself.
Time tracking and management software
In order to succeed, it is important for business owners to maximize productivity around the office. Time tracking and management software monitors what is being accomplished so business owners can better manage the time and productivity of their employees. The software monitors and records employee hours, including work hours, vacation time, sick leave, overtime and projects. In addition, the software has the ability to track individual projects, as well as expenses, invoices and customers.
Webinar services
With many businesses dealing with clients across the country and around the globe, it is important that those in each location stay connected. One way to do so is through webinar services, which allow businesses to conduct presentations over the Internet. The services provide businesses with the necessary tools to present online sales presentations, web seminars and product demonstrations to their clients, regardless of where they are located. In addition, the services can be used for businesses to conduct training sessions and for those companies with multiple locations that need to keep all of their employees connected.
EchoSign
Tired of filing cabinets full of loose documents that just keep mounting? EchoSign is the eco-friendly solution. Simply upload your documents onto the EchoSign server and send to the other party. With its E-sign capability, EchoSign makes signing contracts a hassle-free event, with no printer or scanner necessary. Simply type in your name and initials and EchoSign will save your signed documents on their server for you to reference whenever you need. Instead of throwing away hundreds of dollars on paper, printer ink, and a scanner, EchoSign saves you time, money, and work, all while creating an effort to improve our ecosystem.
Wix
Wix has something for everyone. For those individuals who are less tech savvy and more design centered, Wix is a great resource for website and blog creation. With a “no coding” promise, Wix uses a drag and drop template so you can fully customize your site. If you change your company colors in a few months, Wix allows you to easily swap out your old template for an updated version. On the flip side, people with a stronger tech background can benefit from Wix’s newly launched market app, allowing users to mesh their personal apps onto the Wix platform. This is ideal for app creators, adding another potential marketplace for their product, as well as Wix users who will have access to a larger range of apps. With attractive perks like an online store setup, round the clock customer service, and easily trackable statistics, Wix makes website building seem like a walk in the park. The best part? Creating a Wix website is absolutely free.
Conclusion
As a business owner, you need to create a strategy to compete in a world where it is difficult to be seen by your target market. In order to do this, you need to find them where they are. The tools listed here will assist you in carrying out your marketing strategy and getting more web traffic.