Butterflies in the stomach, rapid heart rate, a few quick breaths – sounds scary right? Well, this is how many small business owners feel when they start out. Quite quickly, they may get overwhelmed, frustrated, and worried. This happens when they face the reality that they cannot do everything themselves. So, what is the solution? There may not be adequate funds to hire a team of qualified personnel. Thankfully, technology is available. The best small business apps for general productivity could result in better productivity, with minimal fuss.
Here are the
Evernote
Research and lots of it is the foundation for any small business. While searching, it is possible to come across little nuggets of information that you need to keep track of. That is where Evernote comes in. With this app, you can collect these nuggets of information and save them easily. This will make it easier for you to locate them again when you need them.
While searching, ideas will line up, and you will need to keep track of these too. Evernote allows you to create notes, manage time with to-do lists, and save contacts. For a café, it is also possible to create and edit recipes using this app.
Evernote is available for free with basic functionality to get any small business going. However, there is a business version available that offers better features and more space. This is charged at $12 per user and can be essential to linking and sharing within a team.
Check out “Notes on the Go: A Comparison of Google Keep & Evernote” for an inside look at how Evernote compares to Google Keep and see which one is better.
RescueTime
Small businesses may fall into two categories. Runoff their feet or chilled with not much to do. Until the perfect balance of work and leisure is achieved, there is an issue with time management. That is where RescueTime comes in to save the day. Though offering a simple service, it helps employees become more accountable. This is especially essential for those who may be working at a PC, with thousands of things that could distract them. With this app, it is possible to view how much time is spent on a specific website. For example, one can track time spent on social media pages, different websites and even shopping. With this information, a decision-maker can have a clearer idea of what may be affecting productivity. All this is available for free with the basic version.
To go a little deeper, there is a premium version available, that costs a total of $9 monthly. With this version, managers and business owners can restrict which web pages their workers have access to. Furthermore, they can get notifications if an employee attempts to access a restricted site. Another benefit of the premium version, it also tracks what is done offline.
Asana
Project management is not always linked to the work you will find in a café. What the customer experiences is an individual who they can give their order and receive it in excellent time. For this to happen in this way, so much occurs behind the scenes. That is why apps like Asana come in handy.
At its core, Asana is a project management tool. It works by making it possible to link setting goals to meeting deadlines. Projects are created and in the case of a café, this could be things that need to be done for smooth operation. With the project created with tasks set so that each stem of the process can be managed with ease. Tasks can easily be shifted from one member of the team to another with minimal fuzz. At one glance, one can see what is happening with the project, as well as view the timelines and schedules.
Thinking of opening a cafe and incorporating these apps? Check out “Opening a Coffee Shop Checklist” for more info on things you need to begin your coffee shop.
When working with many apps, you may feel like it takes too much energy to shift from one to the other. This app can integrate many workplace apps for easy reference. Some apps that can be integrated include Google Drive, Slack, Gmail, and Microsoft Teams.
There is a free version available to try out, though, like other free version apps, and the features will be limited. Businesses should select the premium version that will set them back a total of $9.99 every month.
QuickBooks
Accounting, aaarrggghhh!! Unless you have studied accounting and finance or have a love for numbers that only you understand, this is a tough job for any small business. A café needs consistent tracking daily to stay focused on sales and revenue, raw materials and more. Without a tool to help you, you will find that your finances are all over the place, and you have no idea whether you are making a profit or loss. Quickbooks is an intuitive app that will help you with all things accounting and bookkeeping.
This app can keep track of the business’s expenses with ease. It can also track sales. To make accounting even more manageable, it can generate financial statements, as well as pay employees and keep track of all these payments. Businesses may have invoices that they are chasing up on for payment. This app can keep track of all of these. At the end of the day, with proper use, it can paint a clear and accurate picture of the financial health of the company. There is a fee to pay depending on the functionality that you need. However, a small business can try it out for 30 days free of charge to see whether it ticks all the boxes.
Basecamp
Basecamp is an excellent app if you need to improve communication between a team in a small business. With this app, information can quickly be shared. When a project is being done, it is created in the app. Then within that project, different members of the team get allocated tasks. Everyone can see all the features of the projects and what is required. An exclusive to-do list is created, where dates and times are used to list what should be completed. Even better, people can be allocated to different items on this to-do list.
There are various free options for business, though this is not one of them. It needs a little investment, but it is well worth it. Companies would need to pay $99 each month to enjoy all the tools this app has to offer.
MailChimp
Marketing is essential for any small business that is looking to thrive. One does not need to have a massive budget to market effectively. MailChimp helps small business market using email. It does this by efficiently compiling email mailing lists. To reach these lists, it can also control the process of creating and sending customized newsletters. Once these have been submitted, the app can track what happens to the email, whether it has been opened and read, deleted or the reader is yet to take any action. This app requires payment; however, you can use it even with a small budget. The reason being the charges are based on the number of subscribers one wants to reach on their mailing list.
Are you already using Mailchimp in your business? Check out “Mailgun vs Mailchimp (2019) Features & Pricing” from BestandVS and see how Mailchimp does against another marketing genius like Mailgun.
Todoist
Todoist is a task management list that draws inspiration from the traditional to-do list. Every day, there are tasks that a small business owner will need to do through the day. This app allows functionality and follow through of these tasks through basic to-do tracking. To begin with, a person will create their to-do, and where necessary, may assign it to a specific coworker. To ensure that the item is measurable, a deadline is assigned to it.
At any time, one may get a visual of all the tasks that are completed, and those that need to be done before the deadline. One can track how many tasks have been completed over a period of time. What this track allows is for the person to have a log of what should be done, and the chance to get a reminder when the work is almost due. It is simple and highly effective for employees at any level of the organization.
Have a small business? Check out “5 Tips for Branding a Small Business” for tips on how to promote your business more effectively through your image.
Storage Apps
There are lots to choose from, depending on which device you are using. However, the most recognized are Dropbox, Apple iCloud, and Google G Suite. For a small premium, you can use them to store your documents and information with ease. These save you for filling up and slowing down your computer. Another benefit, you can access your documents from anywhere.
Small business does not need to be overwhelming – it can be simple once you make the use of the best small business apps for general productivity. Most of these apps allow you to try out a free version before committing to using them to their maximum capacity. This is perfect for any business owner who is risk-averse as you have nothing to lose. Excellent productivity is required to achieve success. Now productivity is just a swipe away.
What are the best small business apps for general
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