“Time is money” is a common proverb many of us have used, and at some times, out of context. However, there is no better place where this proverb fits than in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are expected to do a lot, and in some instances, with minimal resources. It becomes important for any entrepreneur to learn how to make the most out of the time they have in a day.
Saving time will save you money. Better still, using this time on the right aspects of your business will boost your bottom line. That’s what you want, right? You want to have the required cash flow to run all your entrepreneurial ventures. To help you, we’ve put together 9 productivity tools for business that you can incorporate into your daily operations to enable you to get organized, save time, and boost your output.
Expensify
This is a mobile app that scans receipts and stores them digitally. It helps you as an entrepreneur to keep track of all expenses. Record-keeping is an area many solo entrepreneurs and small businesses have failed. Unfortunately, if you don’t keep tabs on your finances, it becomes hard to know the true financial state of your business. Expensify eliminates the need to go through heaps of papers to get an idea of your monthly expenses.
Expensify offers price packages for two categories of its target clients: individuals and groups. The prices start at $4.99 per month. On the category of individual users, you can either choose a plan to track or submit expenses. Submitting expenses is suitable for businesses that want employees or departments to send receipts to the accounting department or managers.
The group package offers teams and large businesses a way to automate receipt collection, expense reporting, reimbursements, card management, among others. Individual users can join for free but will have a limit of 25 scans per month. Groups can try the service for six months without pay. You may sign up for Expensify online or download an Android/iOS app depending on your device.
Zapier
Zapier bills itself as the tool that “saves the average user $10,000 of value in time saved per year.” It comes in handy when you want to automate tasks between web apps. For instance, Zapier can help integrate your CRM and seo marketing tools, save documents on GDrive, post on your social media pages, automate emails, among other tasks.
Zapier offers a free plan where users can automate up to 100 tasks per month. The paid plans start at the price of $19.99 per month and come with increased features and reliable support. Zapier is a web-based application that you can sign up for online from any web browser.
Google Tasks
Do you want an easier way to manage your to-do lists? Try Google Tasks. If you use Google, this tool has already been added to the calendar. You don’t need to install anything or subscribe to any plan. It’s free and accessible online from your computer or phone. Google integrates all its apps and from the Tasks tool, you should be able to organize and assign tasks or subtasks, set timers, activate reminders, and get notified through email or pop-up messages.
Slack
Slack is the tool that will eliminate the need for overreliance on emails and physical meetings. Teams can create different chat rooms and channels to collaborate on different projects. In those chat rooms, people can share documents, videos, comment, or tag a team member. Users can also make video and voice calls on Slack.
You can access Slack through their website or from an app. They offer desktop, iOS, and Android apps.
Small teams can try Slack for free but they will access limited features. Paid plans include Standard, Plus, and Enterprise Grid. Their price starts at $6.67 per month.
Upwork
Freelancers come in handy for businesses as they provide on-demand talent. Through Upwork, you can outsource excess tasks and concentrate on what you do best – running your business. Besides, Upwork enables you to get more done at a cost-friendly rate.
Signing up for an Upwork account is free and you can choose to use the free Basic plan or subscribe to Upwork Plus for $49.99 per month. Each plan attracts a 3% payment processing fee for any project you outsource through the platform. Access Upwork online from any device or install a desktop, iOS, or Android app to use the platform on the go.
EngageBay
This application boosts your productivity by putting most of the important tools for running your business in one place. It’s a robust application with tools that take care of your customer database, communication, digital marketing, appointment booking, and customer service. It eliminates the need to criss-cross apps when performing business tasks.
EngageBay has a free package for businesses where they can manage up to 1000 contacts and send 1000 branded emails. Paid plans start at $8.99 per month, per user.
Get EngageBay by signing up on the website or downloading a Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android app. They also have various plugins for WordPress users to enable you to connect and engage with your customers from your website.
Jira
Jira is one of the best productivity tools for tracking and managing projects. Use it to plan for your project and share tasks, prioritize, estimate project time and monitor the progress on each task. It also provides reports for analysis and decision-making.
Small teams can use Jira software for free. But if your company has 10+ users, you can choose from their Standard, Premium, and Enterprise plans starting at $70 per month. Jira is available in various versions including the Web App, Jira Cloud for Mac, Android and iOS apps, Desktop Client for Jira.
Templafy
This tool is useful for quick creation, updating, and managing of documents that meet company brand standards. Businesses can organize company information in one storage area and make it available to employees. When employees want to create marketing materials, contracts, or internal memos, they can access the necessary content on the cloud. All they need is to choose relevant templates and add the information. The tool takes care of the rest, including your business lettering, logo, colors, and fonts.
Templafy is accessible online via the web app or offline on a desktop app. The tool also provides web add-ins for quick access from your browser. The company requires you to answer a few questions about your specific needs to create custom pricing for you.
Timify
Many entrepreneurs waste a lot of time trying to schedule meetings and appointments either with workers or external parties. Timify comes to solve this challenge. By using the app, clients won’t need to call you to book and you won’t miss an appointment.
Timify enables clients to see when you are available and choose a timeslot that fits their needs. They do this on their own from your social media pages or website and you access the bookings from one dashboard.
Solopreneurs and startups can create a free account on Timify. There are paid plans designed for small, medium, and enterprise clients with unique needs. You may use the service online, or download a desktop, tablet, or mobile app that matches your OS.
Conclusion
Productivity for entrepreneurs doesn’t have to be a dicey subject. You can take charge of your time and accomplish what you want to within the set time. Do you have any tools that you depend on to stay productive?
