When you run a small business, resources can be limited – which is why it’s so important to make the most of your money.It’s important to keep your overhead low so you can focus on delivering your services or products. For example, if your business structure allows for it, consider making your team virtual or at least, partially virtual. This will save you thousands in rent each year if you don’t need a physical work space.
Another way to help out your small business? Utilizing free or low-cost apps that can revolutionize your business processes whether you’re running a coffee shop or a small HVAC business.
Before Your Small Business is Off the Ground
A great business needs great employees. Even if you’re working from home, as you grow, you’ll eventually need to find others who can share your vision. This can be very difficult if you decide to let your staff work remote but that’s still better than letting them clog up your living space! So, before you get too deep into the day-to-day tasks of running your business, spend time vetting the people that want to work for you. An online criminal background check is absolutely essential to avoid expensive liabilities later. For example, you can avoid hiring someone with a past DUI, unpaid ticket, or worse.
Once you have a solid team, then you can start to optimize your productivity by using apps like the ones below:
Apps to Keep Distraction at Bay
RescueTime: This handy app helps you be a little more anti-social during the day when you should be focusing on business-critical tasks. It automatically tracks what websites you spend the most time on and sends you a report at the end of the day. You can set the app to send you an alert when you’ve been on a site for a certain amount of time.
Omnifocus: Do you have issues separating your personal to-do list from your professional to-do list? If this is the case, check out Omnifocus. It helps you organize all of your projects and tasks including errands. You’ll never miss a dentist appointment again.
My Minutes: This helpful app allows you to set goals for how long you want to be on certain websites or doing certain tasks. For example, you can set a goal to check email for no longer than an hour.
POS Apps
Square: This point-of-sale system is user-friendly and it’s incredibly easy to change any of the settings to better fit your business. Set access levels for different employees and lock codes.
ShopKeep: Not only can this app handle retail businesses, but it’s also a great companion for quick-serve companies like food trucks and bars. Integrated inventory tracking, profit reports, and low-stock alerts help you stay one step ahead.
Organizational Apps
Proven: Proven assists you in keeping track of your hiring process. It organizes all of your job postings across multiple recruitment sites. Easily sort possible employees by “yes,” “no,” and “maybe” piles and contact the most promising applicants.
Boxmeup: Do you ship packages as part of your business structure? Use Boxmeup, an app for Android, to track and organize your shipping process.
Miscellaneous Apps
PicMonkey: Do you regularly work with images and website images? You might benefit from PicMonkey, a photo editing app that can be used to make cards, create website images, or edit photos for social media.
Google Drive: If you don’t want to spend money on online storage, Google Drive is a great alternative. You can keep all the information related to your business all in one place. Plus, it’s collaborative so you can allow employees access or set documents to “view” or “edit” depending on what sharing mode you set.
Homebase: This clock-in system allows your employees to leave notes about their shifts and rate their work day on a scale of 1-5 stars. You can also track both paid and unpaid breaks to ensure that employees are following established break schedules. Perfect for any home business where your team may not be working in the same building!
TripIt: If you travel a lot for your business, this is the app for you. TripIt organizes all of your travel plans and details including real-time alerts about changes such as flight cancellations due to weather etc.
In Summary
As a small business owner, you need to be resourceful and smart about where and how you spend your money. Using the apps in this article, you’ll be one step closer to making your small business dreams a reality. It takes a little bit of planning, a strict budget, and great employees – but you can make it happen.
