Starting your own
business has never been easier. Due to technological advancements and the
internet, one can readily start a business with just a few steps and clicks on
their computers. Some can even cater to clients abroad without setting foot in
another country. For those who are into e-commerce, dropshipping has allowed
business owners to sell products worth thousands of dollars without actually
needing to handle the products. Doing business nowadays has a lot of
possibilities.
However, no matter how
easy it is to start your business, managing it is another story. A lot of small
business owners tend to do everything on their own. From management, marketing
and sales, social media, customer service, product sourcing, networking, and
accounting tasks they only get very little help or even none at all. Most
postpone hiring someone until the company gets bigger.
Here are the top 7 free
applications that can help your business grow:
1. Google
Suite - It is an all-in-one package that allows you to connect, store,
and create. Google Suite allows you to communicate with your partners and
clients via email or through video conferencing using Google Hangouts.
It also provides access to
files online through cloud storage and it has its own file-syncing service that
allows users to work offline.
Google Suite also comes
with a full range of essential business software similar to Microsoft Office
allowing you to create correspondence, sheets, presentations and even online
forms.
It starts with a free 15
GB storage plan.
2. Evernote - This
is one of the most popular productivity tools where it allows users to capture,
organize and share notes easily. It enables users to organize tasks and keep
important information and notes all in one place.
More than just a
note-taking app, it also allows users to add links, checklists, tables,
attachments, audio recordings, and handwritten notes. The best part is it has a
search function, making it really easy to look for the information that you
need including the handwriting in images.
The basic plan allows
you to 60MB of new uploads every month for free.
3. MailChimp - Email marketing is an
important digital marketing strategy and is known to generate the best return
on investment among other digital marketing campaigns. It allows
businesses to directly communicate to their audience through their inbox -- to
build trust, nurture relationships and to call for action.
MailChimp
is the largest marketing automation platform that allows businesses to send
emails in bulk reaching out to a large audience all at once.
It
features email marketing automation that can be readily customized according to
customer behavior and preference. This creates room for business owners to
focus on strategy and on more important things. Automation allows businesses to
welcome, re-engage and follow-up potential and existing clients.
It
also comes with reporting feature showing data and analytics allowing business
owners to evaluate performance and aid in the formulation of future campaigns.
New
business accounts are free and can hold up to 2,000 subscribers and 12,000
emails per month.
4.
Skype - Skype is a text, voice and video tool that allows users
to communicate online at no additional cost.
It
allows business owners to hold online meetings, group calling and video
conferencing with up to 25 people. If you are traveling or is out of the
country, Skype allows you to get a local number where your customers can call
you wherever you are without long-distance charges.
Skype
also allows file sharing, screen sharing, and language translation.
5. Asana
– Asana is a project management tool that allows users to track
projects from start to finish. It is an effective tracker to know who is doing
what, by and when. This has been really helpful for teams who are doing
different roles in a certain project.
Basic plans include free features, such as unlimited projects, tasks, and
conversations.
6. PayPal –
PayPal provides a faster and safer way to send and receive money. It is a
popular payment method used in over 200 countries. This enables clients to have
more confidence in your business by using a payment method they are familiar
with.
It
also comes with an invoicing tool to easily and quickly request payments from
customers.
Creating
a PayPal account is absolutely free.
7. TradeOff -
It is an online platform that allows users to trade services for other
services. It is an effective tool for networking and to look for collaboration
opportunities.
Through
this app, users can trade the skills that they have with the skills that they
need. Exchanges can be made with services, money or a combination of both in a
safe and secure platform.
How
about you? Can you recommend other applications that can help?
