As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. You wear many hats and the list of things to do seems endless. You constantly think to yourself, “If only there were more hours in the day!” News flash: You don’t need 48-hour days. What you need are the following apps, which will save you time and resources.
Related: Marketing Without a Budget (free eBook)
Apps to Make Life Easier for the Small Business Owner
Top Apps For Accounting
1. QuickBooks
Whether you have a sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, nonprofit or other business, this tool will work for you. All plans allow you to:
- Track income and expenses
- Invoice and accept payments
- Run reports
Those features alone can make business so much simpler, wouldn’t you agree? Depending on the plan, you can also maximize your deductions, track sales, send estimates and even manage 1099 contractors. Plan prices range from $10 to $50 a month.
2. Freshbooks
Freshbooks, an alternative to the above QuickBooks, is a cloud-based invoicing and accounting solution designed for small business owners. All plans allow users to:
- Send invoices and estimates
- Track time and expenses
- Accept online payments
- Track spending automatically
- Project budgets
- Create reports
Talk about getting a good bang for your buck! Both monthly and yearly plans are available.
3. Expensify
Expensify is the #1 tool for expense report management, business travel, and receipt tracking.
A handful of the many features include:
- Automatic approval for certain company expenses
- Real-time expense reports
- Direct deposit reimbursement
- Advanced tax tracking
Expensify takes simplicity a step further, though. It integrates with an array of other accounting, HR, travel, and practice management software. So much of the legwork is done for you, saving you time and money. A free plan is available as well as per user paid plans.
Top CRM Apps
4. Salesforce
Salesforce truly is a force to be reckoned with, as it helps businesses to form strong, lasting relationships with customers. This customer success platform serves small businesses, nonprofits, and startups in a variety of industries. It helps them to stay connected with customers across sales, marketing, customer support, and the whole nine yards.
Whatever your needs, Salesforce has a cloud for you, along with documentation to help you along the way. Several per user per month plans are available.
5. Pipedrive
Designed with sales professionals in mind, this app takes the helm on admin so that you can focus on more important things. Features include:
- Pipeline management for keeping up-to-date on deals
- Email integration to keep sales communication updated and in one place
- Sales forecasting and reporting
- Goals and activity reminders
Monthly plans start at just $15 per user. Yearly plans are also available.
6. Streak
Streak is a cloud-based, multipurpose tool for Gmail. Among other things, this easy-install extension allows users to:
- Share contacts, file and more to keep collaboration moving forward
- Manage support queues and deals right from a Gmail inbox
- Send personalized emails in bulk
- Track applicants for stress-free hiring
While a limited free plan is available, monthly and yearly plans offer a host of additional, helpful features.
Top Apps For Team Communication
7. Join.me
This app is particularly useful if you have a remote team. Unlike simple video calling and instant messaging apps, join.me takes team communication up a notch. Customization options are available to keep branding consistent and set the tone for your meetings. Additionally, the mobile app will allow you to:
- Share documents and presentations in real-time
- Create, share, and edit whiteboards during brainstorming sessions
- Enjoy the pass presenter, recording and chat features
If you’re looking for a secure, flexible way to keep your team connected, this is a great option. Plans range from just $9 to $30 a month.
8. GoToMeeting
Need to host a presentation to keep your team informed? The GoToMeeting app will allow you to do just that. Better yet, as long as you have an account, you can start a spontaneous or previously-scheduled meeting for free.
9. Slack
Slack allows teams to keep in touch through messaging. Features include:
- Private messaging for one-on-one conversations
- Channels to keep conversations organized by topic
- The ability to control who has access to which channels
- A search tool for finding relevant information quickly
A limited plan is available free of cost. Yet, the paid plans, ranging from $8 to $15 a month, give you access to many more useful features. The more your team communicates, the smoother business goes.
10. Insight Timer
With all of these apps designed to help you sort out all that is going on around you and in your head, how could we forget to include a meditation app? Insight Timer provides guided meditations and meditation music for just about anyone. You can choose by topic, person, duration, and more. You’ve got a lot going on as a business owner, don’t forget to take time to breathe and re-center yourself.
Technology Isn’t Always a Curse!
Nowadays, many hardcore productivity buffs label the whole of technology as a productivity-killer. While it’s true that you don’t accomplish much in between checking social media every 15 minutes, not all tech is bad.
The apps above—and others like them—can boost your productivity. They can take many tasks off your hands, giving you more time, energy and resources to devote to the really important things. With these apps, you will never (or never again) be a stressed business owner, but a happy one!
