Let’s Talk Tech: Tools for Small Business You Should Know

Every small business owner relies on their digital devices—laptops, smartphones, tablets and other tech tools. However, if all you’re doing with those gadgets is sending emails, texting employees and checking your Facebook, you’re missing out.

There is an entire world of incredibly useful digital tools, all designed to help make a small business professional’s life easier. These tools cover a ton of territory, like managing your money, tracking projects, sharing files, and crafting marketing messages. The great thing is, most of them are designed to be very user-friendly. You don’t have to be a computer engineer to jump in and use them.

My Small Business Pro and our clients harness the power of many digital tools on a regular basis. I highly recommend you check these out—after all, anything that makes it easier to put information and money to work for you is a great thing.

Money movers

• QuickBooks: an accounting software program that helps small businesses keep track of sales, expenses, invoices, bills and more. MSBP is a QuickBooks Certified ProAdvisor company. 100% of our clients use QuickBooks software. It is the #1 accounting software for small businesses. It’s our flagship software product and the primary tool we use to deliver our services.
• Bill.com: a cloud-based solution that allows businesses to pay bills and receive payments. It decreases the amount of time spend on accounts payable exponentially and eliminates errors. Wire transfers cost a fraction of what they cost through the bank—and sometimes they cost nothing!
• Veem: Another cloud-based payment software that is less robust and expensive than Bill.com, but syncs with QBO and gets your vendors paid fast, cheap and accurately.
• Gusto: a cloud-based payroll company, designed to help companies handle payroll, benefits, and human resource functions.

For more digital tools to manage your money, check out our blog on electronic funds transfers.

Time tracking

• Teamwork: a task-management and collaboration software with internal communications capabilities.
• Tsheets: a program that facilitates time tracking and billable hours. MSBP uses this to track our time spent on client files and billable time and projects.
• Harvest: a time tracking, reporting and invoicing tool. Many of our clients track hourly employees and project hours through this tool.

Gusto (mentioned above) also has a time-tracking tool for employees and accommodates multiple hourly rates.

File sharing

• Qbox: a safe, quick and affordable way to share QuickBooks Desktop data files. We use this program to work with clients who use the QB Desktop products, though they are waning.
• Drive File Stream: a Google for business tool that enables users to stream Google Drive files to a PC or Mac to free up space. This is how we keep all of our client files and documents organized right in Windows File Explorer!
• Dropbox: an online file storage system that makes it relatively easy to share and send large files. Clients can share their Dropbox folders with us -it’s like working off of the same file server.

Other tools

• Asana: an app that helps teams organize, track and manage tasks and projects. We’d be lost without it! This is how we track all our client tasks – weekly, monthly, quarterly, as well as individual tasks and projects.
• MixMax: a tool that enables users to get much more flexibility and robust use from their company’s email system. We use it to schedule appointments, emails for a later time or date as well as email templates.
• MailChimp: an online tool that lets users create, design and send emails and newsletters.
• Practice Ignition: a way to manage client contacts, including proposals, contracts and payments in one place. MSBP is currently working to implement this tool – stay tuned!

We’re always looking for other software solutions to help us be efficient. We’re currently reviewing Front to manage multiple email accounts and Commissionly.io to help clients manage commissions and referral fees.

Too often, companies don’t go beyond Outlook emails and simple Excel sheets. Those are great, but your company could be getting so much more out of their digital resources by thinking bigger. Keep in mind, though, not every tool makes sense for every company. If you’re curious, feel free to reach out to me at Daliah@MySmallBusinessPro.com. I’d love to talk tech with you!