by Lance Cody-Valdez
If you’re an entrepreneur or dreaming of becoming one, you know how rewarding it can be to be your own boss and build a business. But you also understand the wide array of challenges and responsibilities involved. You’re ultimately in charge of every aspect of your operations—from product or service development to financial organization, from schedule management to internal communication. And those are just a few examples.
Wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to increase efficiency in your operations while also boosting productivity and decreasing stress? Here’s the good news: there is! Whether you’re working from home or running a brick-and-mortar establishment, using the right mobile apps can transform your small business and personal life. Here are a few amazing apps to help you get started:
Getting Equipped
First of all, you won’t be able to use helpful apps without the proper equipment. Make sure you and your team members have the laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices necessary for running the most up-to-date apps. And invest in accessories like additional power cords and chargers to ensure that your smartphones and other devices stay charged and ready to go.
QuickBooks
Intuit QuickBooks Online is widely regarded as the best overall accounting app for small businesses—and it has been for a long time. Simply put, it offers more depth, flexibility, and scalability than its competitors. It comes with a well-designed and easy-to-use interface and can accommodate a wide range of users. The only downside to QuickBooks is that it’s more expensive than many other accounting apps. But if you want a comprehensive platform for handling all of your small business finances, there’s no better option.
Basecamp
There are a lot of project management apps on the market. Where Basecamp most shines is that it offers the most bang for your buck. It’s solid and powerful. It may not offer some of the frills of its competitors but does what you need it to and makes it easy to manage your team’s projects and tasks. And it’s affordable, which makes a big difference when you start rolling out various software products in your operations. If you want a project management app that will simplify rather than confuse your staff, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Adobe Spark
When you need graphics, flyers, banners or even social media posts, you don’t always have to shell out for a design service. Instead, Adobe Spark offers a wealth of features that put novice designers in the driver’s seat. For example, you can take advantage of their free graphic logo design tool to help polish (or build up) your brand by creating a more impactful logo in no time. Templates and design tools make customizing a logo a task you can handle quickly, freeing up your time for more important obligations.
Slack
Similar to the project management niche, there’s no shortage of collaboration apps out there. However, Slack remains the clear leader. It has the best interface on the market, from its ease of use to its attractive color schemes and design. It also works well with Apple, Android, and PC products, and it offers a ton of features that are surprisingly simple to implement, even if you have minimal experience with such apps. If you want to improve internal communication, investing in Slack should be a top priority for your company.
Zoom
Virtual meetings have become the norm in many industries. If you regularly have meetings with large groups, Zoom is the platform for your needs. This app is easy to use and perhaps the most effective video conferencing platform for holding successful meetings. From video quality to recording quality to admin controls, consider getting Zoom before any other app on the market.
Being an entrepreneur means that you have more than enough going on. So, shouldn’t you figure out how to make your operations more efficient, boost your team’s productivity, and reduce your stress? All of the apps above can do just that. But they’re not the only apps on the market that can vastly improve your business and personal life. Keep researching and stay up to date on new products so that you can put yourself in the best position to succeed in the long term.
Lance Cody-Valdez
free-lance-now.com
Lance is a freelance writer and content marketer who can show you how to escape the daily grind and thrive on a more flexible schedule, get to be your own boss, and become a digital nomad.