You might think your small business runs on caffeine, but likely it’s a lot of hard work and multitasking. Whether you’re doing all the juggling or you’ve got a team, apps can help you work more effectively and efficiently. We’ve put together a list of must-have apps for small business owners and entrepreneurs.
FreshBooks
Invoicing and bookkeeping are some of the most important tasks small businesses and independent contractors face, and FreshBooks is one of the best apps for small business accounting. It handles it all, from estimates to late payment reminders. You can convert estimates or expenses that need reimbursing into invoices in a snap. For expense tracking, just link your business accounts and set up categories.
Fundbox
Independent contractors often face feast-or-famine payment cycles. Fundbox comes to the rescue with cash advances based on your invoices. (It monitors them by linking to systems like FreshBooks.) If you’re low on cash because a client hasn’t paid their statement yet, just request an invoice advance. Fundbox will create a 12- or 24-week repayment schedule and charge a small fee. You’ll earn more credit the more you use it.
Asana
Even if your team is small or it’s just you, task management can be a bear. Asana allows you to plan, schedule and assign tasks across all of your clients and projects. You and your crew can log in and instantly have a handle on what’s happening when. You can attach documents to tasks and even communicate with each other within those tasks so everyone’s on the same page.
Slack
Sure, you can communicate inside a task-management app, but why not give your crew something else that’s fast and fun? Slack works great for big and small teams as a way to banter, ask quick questions, collaborate and stay connected when at your desk or on the go.
CoSchedule
Your business likely does a range of content marketing to garner new leads. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with creating a consistent schedule for blogging and social media posts, consider getting it all under control with CoSchedule. Not only will you be able to plan, you’ll also have access to the all-important analytics to see if what you’re posting is engaging the masses.
Evernote
Gone are the days of a thousand notebooks and oodles of sticky notes that have lost their stick. With Evernote, you can take notes quickly on any device and have all of your ideas, thoughts and plans in one searchable place. Within the app, you can create individual notebooks for different clients or projects and even use tags for quick recall. Evernote also lets you collaborate with colleagues, link documents and clip items from the web.
Headspace
Running a business can be empowering, but it can also be overwhelming. The Headspace app helps you grab moments of meditation. Maybe a client is testing your limits, you’ve got too much on your plate or you’re feeling blocked. Headspace will help you feel grounded and centered when you need it most.
While you’re running your business, you are constantly developing and implementing smart strategies so that your business operates more efficiently. You’ve worked hard to bring your dream to life. Protect what is most important to you with business insurance from Farm Bureau. Contact your Farm Bureau agent to learn more about business insurance solutions, and protect the business you have worked so hard to build.