Tips & Tools to Give Your Startup/Small Business a Boost

Are you a small business owner or an entrepreneur just starting off?

Great! Like other entrepreneurs, you too must be considering boosting your business while keeping expenses as low as possible. However, there are some inevitable costs that you cannot rule out, but you can minimize the overheads by using the best tools.

We have created a list of startup tools and tips that will not only minimize your overhead but also give your business the much-needed boost.

Let’s have a look —

A free logo maker tool

Before kicking your business ideas off the ground, you need to name your business and give it a visual identity. A logo helps the target audience identify your brand. It communicates to them about who you are as a business and what you do.

For startups, designing a personalized logo is a costly affair. It will cost you hundreds and thousands of dollars to get a brandmark of your choice. Seeking help from a freelancer or illustrator may feel heavy on your pocket. So, the best way to cut back costs is to resort to a free online maker.

Online logo maker tool is available online on many sites like Designhill, Looka, Tailor Brands, and more. You can pick anyone based on your suitability and start designing. For this tool, you don't have to be a designer. All you need to do is pick a logo template, choose the relevant colors, and follow the guidelines suggested by the tool.

Some online logo maker tools provide downloads for as low as $99, while others offer a free download of the basic logo version.

Slack

For any organization, communication is a key management component. It doesn't matter whether you want to update employees about new policies or inform them of something important; effective communication fosters effective management. Unfortunately, for many businesses, it's an arduous task to bring everyone on a single platform.

Slack has turned out to be the best tool for group and company communications. Here, you can have everything in one place. Hence, it saves everyone’s time and frees you from creating a hefty email and sending everyone separately. It comes with a mobile and desktop app version that’s easy to set up.

For premium users, the tool has a voice and video call option as well.

It has both a freemium and premium model. It depends on you, which one you choose.

Trello

When you have to keep track of your goals, deadlines, and works, one tool that comes in handy is — Trello. It is a collaboration tool that you can use to organize your projects into boards. In just a single glance, you can know what's your team working on, who is working on which project, and whether something is in progress or not. It looks like a whiteboard filled with many sticky notes. Each note represents a task either for you or your team.

So, when you want to organize work, resort to Trello!

Dropbox

File sharing plays a big part in any business. With online document collaboration, you can allow people to work together. It also lets you keep your files organized without the risks of data leaks or long mail trails.

Dropbox works as the best option for file sharing and storage. It is available in both desktop and mobile versions. You can use it to make user lists and give them access to specific folders. It also allows you to manage sharing permissions. If required, you can stop Dropbox synching anytime and add extra layers of protection. You can use their free trial version to start off.

AWeber

Email marketing may look like a thing of the past, but it isn’t. Still, it is as effective as other marketing ideas. It matters to your business, and it is capable of giving you an edge over your competitors. With the help of a well-made email campaign, you can build a new customer base, open up new markets, and foster a long-term relationship with customers.

AWeber is an email marketing tool that leverages an AI-powered design assistant for creating attractive landing pages, newsletters, and emails in just a few clicks. The tool comes with essential marketing features such as campaign automation, list builder, and data reporting.

Hootsuite

Staying active on social media is vital for every company, especially startups. It bridges the gap between the company and its customers while attracting new ones. Hootsuite is the best tool to save time and effort in managing your social profiles.

It is one of the most preferred social media marketing tools. What makes it more popular is its affordable pricing plans and easy-to-use UI. It allows you to schedule thirty posts across any social networking platform under its free plan. The tool also helps you measure the ROI and keep track of the impacts, all under one roof.

Zoom

Video conferencing in today's time is of utmost importance. It not only boosts productivity, reduces travel costs, saves time, but also promotes collaboration. Moreover, video conferencing doesn't require you to travel constantly for face-to-face communication.

In this regard, one tool that comes as a respite for business owners is — Zoom. It is one of the most preferred video conferencing apps available in the market. With its free plan, you can host unlimited 1:1 meetings with 100 participants. You also get custom meeting IDs along with an HD screen-sharing facility.

TimeDoctor

TimeDoctor is the tool that helps you manage your employees' productivity. It tracks the total amount of time people spend on a job. You can also get an analytical breakdown of every task and project. As the tool is accurate, you can easily bill your clients or pay your employees based on their track timings.

TimeDoctor comes with a 14-day free trial, and then it charges $10 per user every month.

Conclusion

There you got it! We have created this list of tools for startups after thorough research. Each of the tools mentioned in this list is beneficial for keeping your operations quick and convenient. These tools help you maximize your business potential and boost ROI.

Using these tools wisely, you can take your business to the next level and accelerate your growth.

Author: Henny Kel is a digital marketer, brand consultant, and business strategist with Designhill, a reliable marketplace for logo design, business cards, web design, T-shirt printing, and other graphic design products. With extensive experience working both client side and within the agency environment, he has authored several articles on topics related to digital marketing, business strategies, and content marketing. To learn more, connect with Henny on Twitter or LinkedIn