SMALL BUSINESS TOOLS: Definitions, Types, And Free Tools To Use

Running a small business comes with a lot of responsibilities. Trust me, you’ll get your hands on one activity or the other, so much that you’ll wish there were more than 24 hours in a day. Unfortunately, there aren’t any, and that means you’ll make do with what you have. From invoicing to managing projects down to marketing, advertising, lead generation, and follow up to closing sales, the list is just endless. Luckily, there are great small business online tools that make this easy, thanks to technology. What’s more,some of these small business tools are absolutely free to use, that means it comes at no extra costs.

What Are Small Business Tools?

Business tools are software programs that help the day to day operations of business activities. It help businesses achieve more in record time thus increasing productivity and efficiency.

What Tools Do I need for My Small Businesss?

Technology have made virtually every aspect of business easy with software programs. From budgeting to invoicing, down to project management, lead generation, whatever you can possibly think of, trust small business tools to take care of it in record time.

What Are The Must Have Small Business Tools?

the following are the set of tools hat every small business must get;

Project Management Tools
Email Marketing
E-signature tools
Website Monitoring
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
HR Management
Data Backup
Accounting Software
Communication and Collaboration
Password Management Tools

Online Small Business Tools

#1. Deskera

Deskera is one of the online small business tools that takes care of your accounting, invoicing, payroll, customer relationship management, and other tasks in one place. You really don’t have to go in search of a budgeting tool, because, Deskera takes care of your accounting. Deskera makes running your business day-to-day easier and more automated. Working with Deskera is quite fun as it allows you to switch between tabs, track deals, monitor employees’ leaves, keep tabs on teams, save time, and multitask at a go. Deskera cost $149 annually for a single user.

What are the Key Features Of Deskera?

The following are the primary features of Deskera small business tool;

Invoicing
Secure Role-Based Access
Custom Reports
Email Marketing
Financial Reports.
Expense Reporting.
Better Accounting.
Secure Role-Based Access
CRM Contacts & Deals.

#2. Freshdesk

First on our list of online small business tools is Freshdesk. Freshdesk is a help desk solution that is hosted in the cloud and has the best features in its class for providing good customer service. It has a phone system that allow businesses can use for their customer service.

Freshdesk is a small business tool that users to streamline their operations with automation tools, improve their customers’ support with self-service portals, launch multiple-support channels, and so on.

What are the Key Features of Freshdesk?

The following are some of the key features of Freshdesk;

Identity and Access Management
Customized Reports
IP and Network Restrictions
Real-time customer analytics
Real-time customer analytics
Portal Design and Customization
Helpdesk and customer satisfaction reports
Custom SSL Certificates
Customer analytics in real time
Custom Ticketing, URL, and apps

#3. Proofhub

ProofHub has multi features that come at no extra cost, for small businesses, you know cutting cost is a priority. It’s the perfect project management tool for every business. ProofHub increases accountability and function in real-time

One of the best things about Proofhub isn’t just its an online proofing tool, but its annotating files, as well as markup and file versioning features. This makes the project review process much easier.

What are The Key features of ProofHub?

The following are the key features of Proofhub;

Task management.
Proofing.
Time tracking.
Gantt chart.
Workflow and boards.
Chat.
Discussions.
File management.

#4. Slack

Teamwork is part of the bedrock of every business organization. For teamwork to be effective, there’s a need for effective communication flow. Since all the team members wouldn’t always be in the same place, there’s a need for a platform that links each one of them together. That’s what the Slack tool tends to achieve.
This is actually one of the best communication tools for small businesses. Slack is a messaging application that lets you keep all of your conversations in one place. With Slack, you can send messages in real-time, share files, save conversations, and search through them. Slack was built with team collaboration in mind, so you don’t have to worry about working together with your team, you can easily across to everyone.

What Are The Key Features Of Slack?

The following are some of the primary features of Slack, one of the online tools for small businesses;

Open API
Personal groups
Data security
Two-factor authentication
Data encryption
Voice/video calls
Messaging
File browsing
Conversation channels
Single sign-on
File sharing

#5. Calendly

If you are in search of a small business tool that schedules meetings, improves the quality of your service, saves time, and boosts sales, you need to check out Calendly. I so love its user interface, which is quite friendly to use. Its automatic scheduling of meeting dates also makes it easy for users to set up, use, and manage the scheduling of appointments and more.

What are The Key Features Of Calendly?

The following are some of the key features of CalendlySome important things about Calendly;

API and webhooks
Easy to use and up-to-date
Calendar integration
Perfectly set up for all devices
Automatic/customized alerts
Better privacy and more control
Team scheduling
Group activities
Invitee calendar integration
Can be put on websites.
Measurements and reports

#6. Canva

If you prioritize the need for online visibility using social media platforms or a personal brand website for your small business, you need Canva tools. It’s one of the best free online image editors for small businesses. It’s a small business tool that creates visual content for brands. From images to videos or animation, trust Canva to help out with these.

Canva allows individuals and business brands to create stunning, professional visual content. You’re free to design from scratch, but if you really want to get things done in a jiffy, you can customize their template. They have over 5 thousand templates available for premium and free versions.

What Are The Key Features Of Canva?

The following are the primary features of the Canva small business tool,

Adding text to photos
Over 5000 templates
Image Transparency Tool
Photo Blur
Photo Enhancer
Speech bubble maker
Free icons
Photo vignette
Design grids
Stickers

#7. Airtable

Airtable is specifically for spreadsheet lovers and functions as a database tool. Generally, Airtable users can store different kinds of data in a single cell and it only takes a few clicks using its template.

What are the Primary features of Airtable?

The following are the primary features of Airtable,

Customized Views
Filter, Sort, and Rearrange Records.
Relational Database Functionality
Link Records Between Tables.
Tags and Keywords
Data Synchronization.
Email integration.

#8. MailerLite

Looking for online small business tools for your email marketing? Check out Mailerlite. It’s actually one of the best email marketing software packages, and it’s free.
MailerLite is specifically for small businesses’ email marketing services. It gives these small businesses, a simple, powerful, easy-to-use platform. Every business has a marketing strategy, so this simply means you’re free to customize MailerLite to meet your organizational goals.

What Are The Key Features of MailerLite?

The following are the primary features of MailerLite;

Landing Page
Drag-and-drop Editor
Free Newsletter Design Templates
Custom HTML Editor
Rich Text Editor
Popups
Subscriber Management
Built-in Photo Editing Feature
File Manager

What business make money fast?

either consulting or freelancing. Start freelancing or consulting as it is the #1 fastest option to generate income right away. This merely indicates that you are selling a service rather than a commodity, regardless of what you choose to name it—a one-person company or a fledgling agency, for example.

Can $500 start a business?

A minimum of six months of runway should be saved before starting your own business, according to business books and advisors. However, you may launch a business with as little as $500.

Free Small Business Tools

Most tools that make the day-to-day operation of a small business easier usually come with a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription fee. There’s no doubt that paid business tools are more articulated, but there are free ones that are perfect for small businesses too. Some of these are as follows;

#1. HubSpot CRM

The first on our list of small business tools is HubSpot. If you are in search of free tools that integrate sales, marketing, and customer service for your small business, you should consider Hubspot CRM. It’s actually perfect for anyone who wishes to run an inbound marketing campaign or share key insights on traffic and sales. Aside from the above features, Hubspot is also a tool that businesses can use to track sales, keep a tab on campaigns, schedule social media posts, send emails, and do a lot more.

#2. ProfitBooks

If you’re in search of the perfect small business tool that will help out with your finances, ProfitBooks is great. It’s one of the free tools that help small business owners use it to track their expenses, manage their inventory, and even create invoices. I personally think the most fascinating thing about ProfitBook is that it doesn’t require professional knowledge to operate. That is, just about anyone can use ProfitBooks. It also helps businesses keep tabs on their due payment

What Are The Key Features of ProfitBooks?

The following are some of the key features of ProfitBooks

Create invoices
Keep track of business costs.
Uses POs to make workflow easy.
Track payments in advance.
It keeps a record of the advance payments.
It keeps a record of advance payments.
Using a payment gateway, you can get online payments.
Make complete tax reports.
Keep track of how things are made
Keep track of product lots
Keep track of manuals.

#3. Trello

If you’re in search of project management tools for your small business, you need to check out Trello. Particularly if your business has a lot to do with teamwork, Trello makes things easy for your team. Teamwork is easy with Trello because everyone gets to track their tasks, projects, and files in one app. I guess you already know what that means, you’ll get to monitor your activities from start to finish. You also get to access your portfolio from the web or the mobile app.

What are the Key Features Of Trello?

The following are some of the key features of the Trello free online tools

Assign tasks
The basic service is free.
Record of events
Checklists that show how far you’ve come
Deadline reminders
Tags, labels, and categories make it easy to sort things.
In-line editing
Data filtering
Email notification
It’s easy to add files and attachments.

#4. WordPress

You can’t possibly make a list of free small business tools without mentioning WordPress. Yeah, I know it has paid features, but the truth is, that WordPress is a free tool that enables any small business to manage their blog. All you have to do is sign up for a web hosting service, but if you’re unable to do that, you can still manage your blog using the WordPress hosting platform. The platform allows for additional plugins to make your website run effectively. It also has a wide range of templates for an individual to build their desired site.

#5. Google Doc

One of the best free online tools for small businesses is Google Docs. Google Docs is part of the Google Suite and is great for team members and partners to work together on documents. This is actually my best documentation tool. Its features include ready-made templates, offline access, voice typing, revision history, autosaving, a mode that makes suggestions, editing and styling tools, and a quick and easy way to clear formatting. But aside from these great features, one of the best things about Google Docs is the fact that you can grant people access to edit your work, and that is great for proofreading, and professionalism.

What Tools Do I Need For My Small Business?

HR Management
E-Signature Tools
Project Management Tools
Accounting Software
Email Marketing
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Password Management Tools
Communication and Collaboration

What Are Tools For Business?

Business tools are software programs that enable businesses to manage and enhance their operations by automating the execution of routine tasks and functions. They are business management tools that improve many parts of how a business works, such as keeping track of time, managing workflows and customer relationships, billing, and reporting.

What Software Do Most Small Businesses Use?

Slack
Avast Business
Sage Accounting
Asana
Microsoft 365
Hubspot Marketing Hub

What Are The Five Basic Business Applications?

Project management
Budgeting tools
Marketing & Sales tools
CRM tools
Communication tools

Do Small Businesses Need Software?

Of course, they do. Every small business needs to integrate software into its system to boost productivity.

Conclusion

From budgeting to scheduling meetings, down to tracking projects, or maintaining your business metadata, there are small business tools for every single task, and these can make the daily operation of a business function effectively. Therefore, every small business should endeavor to automate their processes using online free and premium software tools.

Small Business Tools FAQs

What categories of tools must small business have?

Accounting software
Document management software,
HR software

How much is QuickBooks for small business?

$25 for a monthly Simple Start plan and $50 for Essential plans per month. The Simple Start plan is actually for a single user while the Essential plan accepts up to 3 users.