With the right apps for managing a small business, independent business owners can stay organised whilst finding the time for important personal time outside of work.
It’s a fast-paced world out there, and we live in a time where technology is essential in keeping a business afloat. Sometimes we really have to wonder – where would we be without it?
There are apps for everything nowadays, but how can you choose from such an exhaustive selection? That’s why we’ve done the hard work for you.
Many business owners now use apps to aid them run almost every part of their business. Take a look at our comprehensive list of the apps that we believe will give you what you need to kickstart your business.
For seamless communication: Slack
Cost: Free (for the basic version)
Slack can completely transform the way in which your team collaborates – and after all, communication is key for small businesses.
One of the main selling points of Slack is through utilising organised spaces called ‘channels’. You can use these channels to organise projects, tasks, sub-tasks, and so much more. Within these channels, you can transfer messages and files related to a topic to the people on your project – whilst keeping them all in one place.
Hybrid working has become commonplace since COVID-19, and Slack accommodates for that. You can direct message, voice call, or even video call from the app, too.
Most importantly, Slack can be whatever you want it to be. It provides a completely blank canvas for teamwork, tailored to your specific business needs.
For the type-A-listers: Evernote
Cost: £10.99 a month to start a business account
Evernote is so much more than a simple note-taking app. Anything you can imagine can be accumulated as research – ideas, links, web clippings, checklists, images, attachments, audio-recordings, and more.
Based on your desired project or the task at hand, you can place these into different notebooks for easy organisation.
A few other features include reminders, presentation mode to present notes and pitches to clients or customers, and collaboration tools for you and your team.
For time management: Time Camp
Cost: Free, or £6.30 a month for the basic subscription
If there could ever be a way for an app to hold you accountable in the nicest way possible…this would be it! TimeCamp is a time-management application that can be installed on your office computers, or you own computer for personal use.
As a manager, this is a great tool to have as you gain full control and utilisation of your staff’s working hours – without peering over their shoulders constantly. It’s a very minimalistic app with extreme benefits.
A great thing about TimeCamp, too, is that you’ll be able to identify and control any potential issues or distractions long before they arise. Ultimately, your staff will have an improved focus on work, increase self-discipline, and the motivation to work more efficiently.
For those new to business finance: Coconut
Cost: £7.50 per month
Coconut is an excellent bookkeeping and tax app for sole traders. It’s great for beginners due to its simplicity. You can sort your invoices and taxes all in one place.
The ethos of Coconut is that they understand how difficult it can be to start working for yourself. Coconut wants to take the pressure off of you – they want to make self-employment easier than being employed!
The app does this through it’s variety of features, including educating the user on their money usage, capturing receipts and records, simplifying claims, sending invoices, and the option to collaborate with your accountant.
There’s not much that this little app can’t do – and for its cheap monthly cost, it’s a bargain for those looking to find their feet with accounting as a sole-trader.
Which app is the best for you?
Try to not be intimated by the sheer number of apps out there. Give yourself time to have a browse and sign up to free trials (just remember to cancel them!) to get a feel of which interfaces work best for you.
Whilst there may be an app for everything these days, it doesn’t necessarily mean that every app is the app for you. Make sure to utilise the apps that fit best into your company’s goals, objectives, and values.