Running a successful business takes a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication, but it doesn’t have to take up all your time. The right apps can help streamline processes and minimize extraneous tasks, allowing you to enjoy more free time with less effort. Check out this list of apps sure to make an entrepreneur’s life easier.
1. Inventory Management
If your business spans multiple locations or has large volumes of inventory to be managed, Lightspeed may be the best point-of-sale system for you. Although it’s more expensive than the ubiquitous Square system, it offers many perks that make it an attractive option for small businesses that need more management features. Not only does it allow for easy management of the inventory over different locations, but it also lets users add product variations and order inventory using vendor catalogs that are integrated into the app.
2. Accounting and Invoicing
Few things can be more time-consuming for a business owner than managing money. Enter Wave, a free accounting app with no maximum number of users or financial accounts. If you have an accountant, they can easily be given access to everything they need using “editor” permissions. Wave also has the option of using their payroll, tax assistance, and accounting services through Wave Advisors.
3. Project Management and Collaboration
Project management is one of the thornier tasks a business manager deals with. Keeping track of who is working on which ones, the status of those projects, and when they are due can be overwhelming, and ensuring the whole team is on the same page adds another level of stress to it. Luckily, Asana is available to help you with the impressive range of features the app offers.
Though Asana is widely known for its productivity features, Tech Radar recommends it for its ability to let you create and manage to-do lists and reminders, help you communicate with colleagues, and easily share images and other documentation. Asana even offers a free tier for those who don’t have a lot of money to invest in project management software and can manage with more basic functionality.
4. Email Marketing
Studies have shown email marketing gets results. That’s why Mailchimp is such a handy app for business owners to have. Mailchimp allows you to send up to 10,000 emails a month for free, offers a variety of personalization options, provides email and newsletter templates, and gives advanced analytics and tracking so that you can better manage your mailing list. It also allows for eCommerce integrations, such as Magento and Shopify.
5. Social Media Management
Social media gets a bad rap, but its usefulness as a marketing tool is undeniable. While there are a number of excellent apps that exist outside of the Meta suite, Facebook and Instagram still dominate when it comes to social media marketing. With the Meta Business Suite app, you can easily manage your Instagram and Facebook content in one place. Along with notifications and post creation capabilities, it also offers a commerce manager, insights, and trends for your content and page and ad development.
Even the most successful business owners shouldn’t let running their business take all their free time. Utilize the tools and resources available to you so you can finally have the work-life balance you’ve dreamed of. Both you and your business will be better off for it.
Image via Pexels