A successful entrepreneur should have a lot of things imbibed in themselves in order to be successful. They should be driven, committed, confident and passionate about achieving their business goals. But in this hectic digital age, even the best of them need a helping hand to run their businesses efficiently. And with so many different data-driven and efficient business tools, why should you take the burden of doing everything yourself?
According to a study by the US Small Business Administration, there are 30.7 million small organizations in the country, which accounts for 99.9% of all businesses in the US. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an enormous dislocation of the way businesses functioned before. It has led to an increase in online activities, usage of several technologies, artificial intelligence, improved customer satisfaction, internet security, and getting adept with the new normal.
In this article, we will learn about 5 important small business tools that are essential for your business growth. When used properly, these tools will free you up and let you channel your hours into doing something productive for your business. These tools will save you man-hours, money, and any kind of unsolicited stress in the process of running a company.
1. Task Management Software
These tools will help you manage your resources, assign everyday tasks, keep a track of the project deadlines and deliver work successfully on a day-to-day basis. These tools will make work smooth and will help you in keeping your client details in one place. Project planning, monitoring, resource allocation, budget management, are some of the things with which these tools can benefit your business. Also, if maintaining a budget and completing tasks on time have been a challenge for you before, task management software is a must-have in your business.
Expert Tip: Try Trello. It’s free, flexible, and very effective software to manage projects.
2. Communication Software
Since time immemorial, communication is the heart of doing business. And today, when remote working is the new normal, maintaining communication with the team members in a proper manner is all the more vital. Whether it’s about conversing with employees or generally chatting with them to share ideas, getting your messages across in the most hassle-free way is now possible with different communication tools. These are effective for daily communication, sharing ideas, brainstorming, and regular chit-chatting with the team members. With such tools, it’s also easy to upload files straight from Google Drive.
Expert Tip: Slack is one of the best communication software which you can include for your business. It has affordable plans and is useful for remote working companies.
3. Virtual Private Network Tools for Security
Hiscox, in its Cyber Readiness Report, mentions that approx. 47% of small businesses have reported at least one security-related incident in the past year which is more likely to increase in the next year and beyond. Therefore, for your small business in Canada, you must incorporate a virtual private network (VPN) service. Such tools will hide your online activities from hackers and will limit the users who can access your business’s information online.
Expert Tip: NordVPN is the most trusted VPN service provider for businesses worldwide. It has over 5249 servers across 60 nations. Also, it has multiple specialty servers to which the users can take a pick as per their needs.
4. Accounting Tools
This is one most essential business tools which you should definitely incorporate in your business in the coming year. It concerns accounting and makes sure that your figures are right. After all, if that isn’t right, you might face huge losses in the long run. And what could be more vital than making sure that the numbers are adding up at the end of the day? These tools will also provide you with insights into your company’s financials, help you with your cash flow management, and so on.
Expert Tip: Sage Accounting could be the best option for you to make accounting and payroll management simple online.
5. Recruiting Software
Recruiting employees for your business during the remote work structure could be a little tiring. Also, it might seem to be a costly process, more so for small businesses. Think about the time and money you will have to shell out in doing the background checks, referencing, and credit checks of all the probable staff? Hence, making use of recruiting software will make your workflow smooth and will save you a lot of time and money!
Expert Tip: GoodHire can make hiring simple, smooth, and streamlined for your small business.
Wrapping it Up,
So, are you ready to save up on your fund while doing your business the right way? By incorporating the above-mentioned tools in your business, you will be able to work smartly towards achieving your goals. These tools will not only support your needs but will also make the path towards achieving success a lot easier, and safer.
Wish to learn more on how to achieve success with your small business in Canada? Do not forget to subscribe to our monthly CanadianSME Small Business Magazine.
