Every business is looking for the perfect “tool” to run their business. Looking for ways to increase their productivity by reducing mundane tasks. Owners want to make sure that tasks are completed on-time and with superior quality. Usually finding this tool results in tens of beta trials, endless hours of searching the web, and in the end disappointment. While I have yet to find the perfect tool and on a daily basis use several to manage my work life, here are some that will get you going in the right direction.
The Basics
Google Apps – For small and mid size business Google Apps is a no brainer. It costs a fraction of maintaining a server and the usually licensing and gives you a set of tools that are easy to start using but take years to master. I use Google Apps for my email, calendar, sites, chat, and docs. At $50/user/year you can’t go wrong. As an aside I recommend using the web interface instead of Outlook, its fast and Google is constantly upgrading they interface and usability.
SuagrSync – While Dropbox gets all the attention I am a big user of SugarSync. SugarSync allows you to backup and sync files across multiple PC’s and Macs. While SugarSync allows you to install their client on each machine you want to sync and backup and choose which files and folders to keep backed up, I have found that using their Magic Briefcase is the best solution. I use the Magic Briefcase similarly to how many use traditional file server. I organize the root of the Magic Briefcase into functional business areas (Marketing, Accounting, Operations, etc) and then go from there. I then can simply open my Magic Briefcase on any PC I am on and there are my files, I can also easily access my files through the web interface or on my Ipod touch or Droid. It provides great file sharing abilities and its cheap $4.99 for 60gb.
MailChimp – If you aren’t doing any email marketing, start right now. MailChimp offers a great email marketing platform for small and medium businesses. They have a great set of pre-built templates and you can always design and use your own custom templates. Their tracking and analytics are also great which allows you to see how you can improve your email marketing. MailChimp also offers number of 3rd party integration including Google Apps. They offer a forever free plan so why not give it a try.
CRM – You have a few options here that I would recommend first of which is Salesforce.com. Yes they are the 10,000 lb gorilla but for good reason. They offer the ability to create a sales and marketing platform that allows you to track all aspects of your sales process. They also offer great modules for customer service and can be customized to build just about anything. The one downfall for small business is the price, if you just started then you may want to look for another option. Lower costs options that work great for small business is Highrise by 37Signals which integrates with Basecamp and is super easy to use. Other options would include SugarCRM and Zoho CRM.
Harvest – For time tracking and invoicing I use Harvest. It is a great web based solution for tracking where you are spending your time and making your money. It offers the ability to manage projects based on tasks and give other users access to specified projects. I also use Harvest for invoicing which create much more attractive invoices than Quickbooks and send out recurring invoices automatically. Harvest also allows you to track expenses related to projects and tasks. It’s also cheap only $12/month for one user.
Accounting
Quickbooks – No surprise here but I do use the old standby desktop version instead of the online hosted version. I think the online version is still too slow and not as feature rich as its desktop brother. Also for the cost I cannot justify using the online version at $35/month. Quickbooks is a great way to go for small business because just about every accountant/bookkeeper knows how to use it and can give you some guidance.
Pulse – Pulse is a cash flow application that accomplishes what I have done on spreadsheets for years. Unlike Quickbooks Pulse gives you a high level overview of your cash flow, and for small and new businesses managing cash flow is vital to survival. Pulse allows you to enter income and expenses and associate it with services or products. Pulse also allows you to make expenses and income recurring for an ongoing period of time. Its great to see how and when you should spend your cash.
Niche Tools
SEOmoz – Well I might even argue that SEOmoz isn’t a niche tool. Almost every business could use SEOmoz to improve their search marketing but for me it is a vital tool. I use their Pro Member tools for analysis and constant improvements to client sites. Their tools give me the insight I need to make my clients successful and thus me successful. They also offer a great daily blog for free which gives great advice and strategies. SEOmoz Pro membership starts at just $79/month.
Raven Tools – I don’t even think I’d argue this one not being niche. Raven Tools offers a platform for managing your SEO and web marketing. They offer a bunch of integrated services that allow you to efficiently research and implement SEO strategies. Also included is reporting functionality to show how your strategies are working. For a single website you can pay only $19/month.
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