Under30CEO Best Small Business Tools

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Jonah Moody
8 years ago
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1 As small business owners we are always looking for tools to help get the job done effectively and at a low cost. It s truly amazing how powerful some tools are that are low cost or even free! If you re not taking advantage of at least a few of these resources then you and your business are missing out. The below tools cover a variety of topics but almost every business uses their services in some way. Under30CEO will continue to keep this list updated and will add relevant tools as we come across them. Currently the list is taken from some of our top articles over the past few years covering online tools for small businesses. Wave Accounting Wave is a 100% free (not just a free trial version) accounting app made for small business owners and freelancers. This free alternative to applications like Quickbooks, allows you to create and send professional invoices, track expenses, create reports, and eliminate accounting headaches. Dropbox This powerful product ends the challenge of storing and syncing files and documents on different devices and computers. The free offering comes with 2GB of space, with larger plans for a fee. Google Docs & Apps Allows you to create and collaborate on documents that you can access anywhere. If you have a business, your address needs to end which you can do for free through Google Apps. Evernote Great for taking notes and drafting blog posts. Keep everything you need in one place and access it from anywhere. The platform also comes with powerful apps so you can take it on the go. Freshbooks You can keep your time and expenses organized, send professional branded invoices, and even collect online payments by credit card, PayPal, or echeck. It offers a free version with limited features that you can use forever. HARO Find reporters who are looking for certain information & quotes for stories in your field that you can help them with. If the reporter likes your information there is a good chance you will get featured in their story. There are hundreds of opportunities each day! #1

The below tools cover a variety of topics but almost every business uses their services in some way.

2 Quora A well done and extremely comprehensive Q&A site where you will find answers from high-level entrepreneurs, ceo s and executives. Of course you can ask your own questions and provide answers too! Mint Don t forget to get your own personal finances in order! Mint brings all your financial accounts together online or on your mobile device, automatically categorizes your transactions, lets you set budgets and helps you achieve your savings goals. Google Alerts Set up alerts to monitor your business, your industry, your name or anything else. Great way to find out if anyone is talking about you or your business. This is a must so you can respond to any criticisms, customer complaints or thank someone for a great write-up of your business. Free Conference Call Use this free tool to attend and hold conference calls, webinars and more for free. You can easily collaborate with clients, employees or business partners. One of the best features is the free built in recording capabilities which allows you to save and reproduce the material for whatever you need. Square An easy way to accept credit cards right on your iphone, ipad or itouch. The app is free and you pay per transaction just like you would through paypal. There is no easier way to accept credit card payments on the go for your business. Twitter Chats If you are an entrepreneur one of the premier tools for personal branding and networking we have available to us is Twitter. One of the best ways to utilize this tool is through organized online discussions with other people on Twitter surrounding certain topics or hashtags called twitter chats. Hootsuite A must for small business owners who are active on social media. Manage accounts like Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Facebook and more all in one place. If you re logging into each of your accounts individually then you are wasting valuable time each day! #2

Mint brings all your financial accounts together online or on your mobile device, automatically categorizes your transactions, lets you set budgets and helps you achieve your savings goals.

3 Skype Call or video chat with anyone else in the world who also has Skype for free. A must for doing international business in this growing global economy. Mailchimp A great way to build and manage your list which is crucial for small businesses online. Your list is usually your most valuable and important customers or readers.. You can use it for free for your first 2,000 subscribers to your list. Tumblr or WordPress Two of the most powerful blogging platforms out there. With most small businesses running blogs today you will find they probably use one of these platforms for it. Tumblr is as simple as it gets while wordpress is more powerful but also requires more customization. SCORE templates Find business plan forms, financial templates, contract samples/templates and more. You can even ask a question to a local, volunteer mentor right through the website. SCORE has locations around the country and is a non-profit helping small business get the answers and resources they need. Google Analytics Analyze and monitor how visitors use and engage your website. Everything is customizable and it s all free! 1Shopping Cart 1ShoppingCart is a leader in ecommerce solutions and will make getting your online store up and running easy. They will handle everything from marketing, payment processing, shopping carts and more. You can try it out with a 30-day free trial to start. EchoSign Tired of filing cabinets full of loose documents that just keep mounting? EchoSign is the eco-friendly solution. Simply upload your documents onto the EchoSign server and send to the other party. With its E-sign capability, EchoSign makes signing contracts a hassle-free event, with no printer or scanner necessary. Simply type in your name and initials and EchoSign will save your signed documents on their server for you to reference whenever you need. #3

. You can use it for free for your first 2,000 subscribers to your email list. Tumblr or WordPress Two of the most powerful blogging platforms out there.

4 Doodle Doodle eliminates the chaos of scheduling and saves you a lot of time and energy when you re trying to find a time to bring a number of people together. Instead of using just one option, Doodle enables you to propose several dates and times and the participants can indicate their availability online. Appointy Schedule appointments, accept pre-payments, send reminder alerts, update personal calendars, offer discount coupons and more. There s a free version with limited allowable appointments. Remember the Milk With this free tool, you can manage tasks from anywhere via your desktop, your phone, etc. And it integrates with your Google Calendar so you ll never forget the milk or anything else on your To Do list. LastPass The Last Password You ll Ever Have to Remember! LastPass is a secure password manager that allows you to login into any site with one click. And it s free! Expensify Create expense reports quickly and easily. Expensify lets you scan receipts on the go, create reports and provides analytics. Odesk Starting a business often involves utilizing the skills of others. Without the means to hire fulltime staff, but with project deadlines looming, hiring a per-project contractor can be extremely beneficial. With no time to waste looking for that perfect candidate, Odesk streamlines the process for you. Take advantage of their huge database of contractors looking for work, and follow their step-by-step process to find the best fit for your company. Odesk profiles provide previous work experience, sample portfolio, and client reviews so that you can make an informed decision, and meet with only those candidates that would be a great asset to your team. #4

Appointy Schedule appointments, accept pre-payments, send reminder alerts, update personal calendars, offer discount coupons and more. There s a free version with limited allowable appointments.

5 COPYRIGHT NOTICE Under30Media. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER This guide is meant to be a starting point and cover basic ideas and concepts, it is not financial or legal advice. Under30Media may receive compensation for various offers when you use our links to signup for products or services. This does not impact the recommendations or offers in any way. #5

Social Media for Business and Professional Use. An Introduction to Queens Library s Presence on Today s Most Popular Online Communities

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