Small business owners have a lot on their plates, and at times, the amount of things that need to be done can seem pretty overwhelming. This is why it is so important for business owners to take advantage of every tool that is available to them, including certain apps and resources that are going to make their lives a lot easier, and their businesses run more smoothly. I have created a list of my eight favorite resources for small business owners.
1) Booker – You need to have the time to take care of your customers, time spent worrying about the little details is time wasted. This is why you need this tool. It will help in so many ways, including attracting new customers, booking appointments online or mobile, sell by point-of-sale, e-commerce, etc., manage data, and retain customer relationships. This leaves you free to concentrate on what is important: your customers.
2) Square – This is a payment app that is ideal for retail stores, beauty salons, food trucks, and more. Users have a small card reader that is portable, and can be attached to phones and other mobile devices so you can take payments, quickly and easily. There is a 2.75% fee for every swipe, and manually entered transactions cost 3.5% plus 15 cents for each transaction. There is also a $49 up-front fee to use this service. Downloading the service is free.
3) Small Business Development Center (SBDC) – This organization offers assistance to small businesses and new entrepreneurs in the US. If your dream is to open your own business, you can get all of the help you need here, including access to funding options. SBDC’s are funded partly via a partnership with SBA, and hosted by top universities and state economic development agencies.
4) Pushover – If you have more than one phone or device that you use for your business, this is definitely an app you need to be using. It will send push messages to smartphones, organize messages and notifications from all of your devices into one place, and more. Send up to 7,500 messages per month, and enjoy unlimited notifications on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watches, Androids, desktop, and laptop computers. There is a free, seven-day trial, and then you can buy it at a one-time cos of $4.99.
5) Gadget Salvation – When you need to come up with extra cash for your business, one way to do it is by selling old gadgets that you no longer use, such as iPads, iPhones, laptops, etc. At Gadget Salvation, you will receive the top quotes for your used gadgets, and the process only takes a few minutes. Then, simply send in the gadget to GadgetSalvation.
6) Enloop – One of the toughest challenges with starting a new business is creating the actual business plan. This tool will make that process a whole lot easier, and you will be able to create a business plan that is bank and investor-ready. The patented system does all of the complicated work, and it is all done in the cloud, so it is completely safe and secure. You can access it any time you need to use it, make changes, etc.
7) When I Work – This is a great scheduling program that lets you create schedules and easily communicate with your employees. It will save a lot of time, and help to cut down on employee absenteeism. The best part is that this tool is free to use for 30 days, so you get to see how it will work for your company before you make any long-term commitment.
8) Addappt – Here is an app that gives business associates, family members, and friends the ability to update all of their contact information in your address book, so you don’t have to. But, they need to also be using Addappt. Use this tool to organize contacts in groups, send messages, etc. This app is free, and it is available for iOS and Android users.