Beneficial Tools for Startups
The startup environment is packed to the brim with business owners and employees full of excitement and creativity surrounding the next big product or service to hit the market. While the companies that make it big give off the illusion of glamour and high profitability, rarely are early stage startups in the same easy-going boat. A substantial amount of sweat equity, heart and soul is put in to creating a startup that has the ability to affect individual consumers or other businesses in positive, beneficial way for an extended period of time. Countless hours are put in, all on a shoe-string budget, and at times it is exhausting to keep up the good fight.
Fortunately, a variety of tools such as Asset Bank are available to help ease the burdens associated with startup operations, no matter the industry or size of the organization. Let’s take a look at the most beneficial tools for startups in terms of communication and collaboration, accounting and finance, organisation, and customer engagement and service.
Communication and Collaboration Tools
For any company, communication among various departments, teams and management is a key factor in achieving organizational goals. The ability to collaborate on strategic initiatives is also paramount to success, no matter the intended outcome. Technology-based tools provide a suitable medium for communicating effectively and encouraging collaboration across an entire organization. Some of the most popular tools available include Asana, for task management and work-flow tracking, Yammer, for internal group discussions and idea generation, and TeamBox for project management.
Accounting and Finance Programs
A startup’s primary goal to generate profits may seem simple in theory, especially when the product or service being offered is appealing to a large group of individual or business consumers. However, in practice, the financial reporting and accounting maintenance required to keep a startup in line with regulations can be a challenge for even the most business savvy owners or employees. Financial management tools like this platform can help reduce the time and cost burden associated with tracking wages earned and salaries paid, while accounting software like Freshbooks or Xero offer cost effective ways to manage the most crucial aspect of business management.
Organization Platforms
The startup environment can reach a chaotic state when the right organizational tools are not set in motion from the beginning. File management applications like DropBox and Google Drive are smart, affordable ways to manage the countless documents needed to keep a startup running in an efficient, organized manner. Similarly, Evernote can be beneficial in organizing tasks that need to be completed or ideas that should be vetted, and Stormboard can be used to brainstorm for meetings or presentations across an entire organization in a single location.
Customer Engagement and Service Tools
Startups are not worth much without satisfied customers, and so the tools used to manage customer engagement and service are increasingly important. Client relationship manager programs, or CRMs, like Zoho and Salesforce helpful to startups in managing pertinent customer information, like lead source, lifetime value and contact information. Marketing to current and prospective customers is made far easier with tools like MailChimp or Batchbook that help in the creation of e-mail or other drip campaigns. HootSuite and Buffer similarly assist on the front lines of social media marketing efforts. Platforms like ZenDesk can be used to track and manage customer inquiries and help tickets in a timely manner, keeping customers informed and, more importantly, happy.
While not exhaustive, the list of tools mentioned here are a great start in keeping any startup on the right path. Maintaining communication and collaborative efforts internally through strategic tools is necessary to the achievement of company goals, and the use of intuitive accounting and financial management software is a must for all startups. Keeping a high level of organization throughout all departments and teams within a startup business is also a key component to success, as is the ability to effectively reach current or potential customers and clients. Integrating some or all of these tools will help in creating a startup that has a positive effect on employees, customers and the owner(s) equally.
What would your top tip be to someone who is looking to start up their own business?
*This is a collaborative post.
Some great tips and tools for a start up business in this blog, very helpful 🙂
I would love to say Excel is the starting place for me, but this is a superb post full of hints and tips which as a blogger are also relevant.
Some great tools. You can’t go wrong with a good spread sheet. I always use Google doc’s so I can sync it up to my phone as well x
All brilliant tools for beginners, or even intermediate! We could all do with learning something 🙂
Yes most definitely – I think we are always learning. x
I would tell someone looking to start a business to make sure they do a lot of research. These are great tips.
Yes research is such an important part of starting up a business and something so many people don’t think about. x
Direct and simple tips and guides. Communication is indeed vital especially in a setting up stage.
Yes definitely you need to be so open with everyone you are working with. x
Many good thoughts here. We need a plan of action and to know what we can do, and what we need to have the right tools for as well.
Thanks for the beneficial resource.
This looks like it would be very helpful.
Great tips for wanting to create our own lane and business!! I did it 5 years ago and I’m so happy I did!!
Useful tools to start. Thank you for sharing!
Evernote is my baby, but Asana is great for keeping up with client projects. They are two of my favorite and keep me in order. Thanks for sharing. – Yolo
I have been looking for a better accounting system. I appreciate the tools you’ve suggested.
No problem at all I really hope they help you out 🙂 x
These are all great tips! Getting started can be so overwhelming. Thankfully there are so many blogs and tutorials to help!
I would definitely invest in an accounting system. Keeping spending in check is critical for any startup business.
thank you for this i will also recomended this to all my friends who happened get into a business
This is awesome! Sometimes, we don’t even know what we don’t know when we are getting into things! I think it’s important to be prepared!
It really is, isn’t it – I’m someone who has so often jumped in without thinking – I definitely need to start planning more! x
These are all so important for start ups! Ill have to share this with all the newbie biz owners I know!
I really hope it helps them and a good luck to them as well! x
Great to know! Beneficial for anyone who is looking to start out! Always research and know what you’re getting into!
Definitely research is definitely one of the key things anyone who’s looking to get into anything needs to do. x
Stick to your true self without being afraid to adapt. Many have a goal in mind but will change to please others. You just need to adapt when things do not go as planned but try to keep your original vision in your business
This is so true – sometimes you need to make those small changes to reach your final goal. x
Great tips and tools to start up your own business. I think if you’re motivated and have passionate about what you want to do then the hard work will all pay off at the end.
Great Post 🙂
These are all great tips for beneficial tools for startups. It is so important to research everything before starting any type of business or even a blog. I will have to check these tools out for sure. Thanks for the tool tips.
I think so many people just jump in and think it is easy when there is so much behind the scenes work that you need to do. x
My top tip is to just have a plan. Write out your business plan, know your objectives, and don’t waste time on the things that don’t help you meet those objectives. Also do what you do best, and delegate the other things.
Yes, very much so – I lack on the planning side it is something I definitely need to become better at. x
This covers all aspects in starting a business. It gives you resources from accounting, marketing, management, etc.
This is definitely some great info for all the newbie business owners. Start a business is a lot of hard work but in the end it will be worth it
Most definitely and amazing what you can do when you just put your head towards it. x
These are great tools, many of which I have used myself. I wouldn’t be able to do everything I do without these useful resources.
There is just so many things out there to help people isn’t there – it is just trying to know what they are and where to find them. x
I use Asana for project management and Evernote to hold all of my clients’ hashtags, notes and more!
See I totally need to get more organised like this lol! x
Some brilliant tips and very useful knowledge for sure! I don’t plan on starting my own business (yet) as I’m still at the stage where I really just want to explore the world rather than settling down… but good to know these things nonetheless!
Oliver x
You never know one day you might want to 😉 but I am totally with you on travelling if I could have, I would have. x
I feel like financial tools are really important resources for start ups to know about because if you don’t have a strong financial backing, you really aren’t going to be successful or make the positive impact that you are hoping for.
Most definitely and it helps you keep everything in order as well. x
This is perfect timing for this post. My husband is starting a brand new company and is looking for resources to help. This post will be great for him.
These are all important tools for new businesses. I think accounting software is so important for new businesses to keep track of their cash inflow & outflow.
I have to admit I’ve only just started using accounting software and what a difference it makes!
Starting up a new business can be so scary! These are great tools for starting up a business.
It is such a big step isn’t it. Definitely scary but so exciting. x
These are all great tools and resources for start ups. I use Evernote myself and find it invaluable.
It is amazing how much easier having good software can make things for you. x
Great tips for getting started as a start up! I love that there is so many resources out there to help people starting up.
It is wonderful isn’t it – you don’t have to be so alone as you once did these days. x
Thanks for the tips. I will be needing all the tools I could find very soon and hopefully be successful in my new business venture.
Starting a company is definitely a lot of work, but it’s all worth it in the end. It’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
Most definitely it gives you all sorts back being able to run your own business. x
Me and my husband have just started as Independant Consultants with a business, and these are great tips! Thank-you 🙂 x
Ekk best of luck to you and your husband in your new venture! x
Its so tricky when you have your own business to get ontop of everything and especially when you have first started up. This is a great article of advise 😀
Most definitely there is so much you need to think through and get done it can be so hard. x
A good accounting program should be the first thing for any startup. If you don’t track your finances, how will you know how well you are or aren’t doing?!
I am amazed what a difference an accounting programme makes to be honest. x
My best tip (for starting a blogging business, at least) is to get into Blogger Facebook groups and start asking questions! The pros really know what they are doing, and I got wonderful advice from them!
Yes this is very true – there is such knowledge out there from the long term bloggers it is wonderful to learn from it. x
When I started my old business this would have been so worth reading… maybe thats why I’m still not running a business!
These are all really important things for people just starting out. It takes a lot of work, but it’s worth it 🙂