These are the top 10 small business tools that you need in 2024
In this article, I will share the best business tools every small business should use to grow and manage their business.
I use them in my everyday work – they help me so much to be organized and efficient! These small business tools can streamline and automate some of the processes helping you to save time and focusing on more important things.
Most of the tools are free, but some of them has paid versions and monthly or annual cost.
Why do you need these small business tools?
First, you can improve your efficiency.
These tools can streamline various processes, automate some tasks, and reduce the amount of time required to manage various aspects of the business. This can help your businesses operate much more efficiently! Focus on your core competencies and grow your business.
Second, you can stay organized.
These smart small business tools help you to keep track of your work, including tasks, deadlines, and schedules. This can help to manage your time and resources better.
Third, enhanced communication with your team members.
Some of these tools ensure effective and streamlined collaboration with your team members.
Fourth, these small business tools enable businesses to efficiently manage and monitor interactions with their customers, thereby enhancing service delivery and fostering robust client relationships.
In essence, complimentary business tools facilitate the expansion of business operations by equipping them with essential resources to oversee diverse facets of their enterprise.
Here is the list of the top 10 small business tools that you should consider using if you run a small business:
1. Asana – Free for individuals and small teams looking to manage their tasks
Asana is a comprehensive tool for project management and team collaboration, aiding businesses and organizations in organizing their work, enhancing communication among team members, and ensuring task and deadline adherence. It encompasses a plethora of features tailored to foster team organization and productivity, including:
Task Creation and Assignment: Users can generate tasks and allocate them to team members, establishing deadlines, and attaching relevant files and notes for contextual clarity.
Team Communication: Asana incorporates an in-built messaging functionality, enabling real-time collaboration and communication among team members.
Progress Tracking: Asana equips teams with tools to monitor work progression, such as Gantt charts and calendar views, facilitating effective project oversight.
Integration with External Tools: Seamless integration with various popular platforms like Dropbox and Slack enables easy access and sharing of files and information among team members.
2. Zoom – Free up to 40 minutes per meeting
Zoom is a leading video conferencing tool that has become indispensable for businesses, organizations, and individuals alike. Offering seamless communication and collaboration capabilities, Zoom facilitates virtual meetings, webinars, and training sessions with ease.
With Zoom, participants can join meetings from any location, using various devices such as desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Its user-friendly interface allows for effortless scheduling and management of meetings, with features like screen sharing, chat, and recording enhancing the interactive experience.
In essence, Zoom empowers individuals and businesses to collaborate, and thrive in the digital age, making it an invaluable tool for modern work environments.
3. Google Docs – Free to use, web-based word processor
Google Docs offers invaluable support for businesses across various dimensions. Here are some ways in which small businesses can leverage Docs:
Streamlining Collaboration: Facilitating simultaneous work on the same document by multiple team members, making it an indispensable asset for collaborative projects. Document Creation and Editing: Providing the capability to create and edit a diverse range of document formats including letters, resumes, reports, and more, fostering versatility in business documentation.
Cloud-Based Document Storage: Enabling cloud storage of documents, granting accessibility from any internet-enabled device. This feature simplifies document sharing and promotes seamless collaboration while on the move.
Client Document Sharing: Facilitating real-time collaboration with clients through document sharing, enhancing efficiency in remote client interactions.
Integration with Google Suite: Seamlessly integrating with other Google tools such as Gmail and Google Calendar, enhancing convenience in business management and workflow organization.
4. Google Drive – Free up to 15 GB of cloud storage
Google Drive is a cloud storage and file management tool that can be useful for small businesses looking to improve their collaboration and file organization.
Some key features of Google Drive:
File storage: Google Drive allows you to store and access your files from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection. This can be helpful if you have a distributed team or if you need to access your files from other devices.
File sharing capability: Google Drive allows you to easily share files and folders with team members. You can set permissions to control who has access to your files.
Integration with other Google tools: Google Drive integrates with other Google products.
5. Google Analytics – Free to use
Google Analytics, another web-based service by Google, aids businesses in monitoring and analyzing website traffic. It stands out as a paramount tool for small enterprises, furnishing invaluable insights into website performance, encompassing visitor demographics, traffic origins, and on-site activities.
Here are some ways small businesses can leverage Google Analytics:
Monitoring Website Traffic: Offering comprehensive data on website visitors, including traffic sources and page visits, facilitating informed decision-making.
Trend Identification: Assisting in the identification of traffic trends, such as popular pages and the efficacy of marketing campaigns, enabling optimization strategies.
Customer Behavior Understanding: Furnishing insights into visitor interactions with the website, encompassing page dwell time and navigational patterns.
Goal Setting and Performance Measurement: Enabling the establishment of specific website goals, like sales or sign-ups, and providing tools to track progress towards achieving these objectives.
6. Canva – Free or Pro version
I could write novels about Canva, it’s such a great tool! If you haven’t used it yet, give it a try, it’s a huge help in your everyday work.
Canva is a user-friendly graphic design tool for individuals and small businesses to create high-quality marketing materials, such as social network posts, brochures, visit cards, and more. It offers a wide range of built-in customizable templates and a mobile-friendly interface that makes it fast and easy for users to create designs even if they have little to no design experience.
For collaborative endeavors, Canva offers complimentary tools facilitating teamwork, such as the ability to leave comments and feedback on designs, as well as sharing designs with colleagues for review.
Efficient asset management is facilitated through Canva’s features, allowing users to organize and oversee their design assets via functions like folder creation and collections.
With its top-notch free tools, Canva enables users to assess the performance of their designs, providing insights into metrics like views and engagement. This functionality proves invaluable in gauging the effectiveness of marketing materials in resonating with the target audience.
Even the free version offers a lot of customizable options, but for professional use, I recommend the pro version of Canva.
Most of our creatives has been designed in Canva, check out them in our portfolio.
7. WordPress – Free to use
WordPress is another must-have tool!
WordPress stands out as a favored content management system (CMS) among small businesses seeking a platform for website building and management. With its wide range of features and plugins, WordPress empowers small business owners to establish and uphold a professional online presence, sans the necessity for technical prowess.
Highlighted below are some key features of WordPress, rendering it an invaluable free resource for small enterprises:
Customization Flexibility: WordPress provides countless customizable themes and plugins, enabling users to tailor the appearance and functionality of their website to suit their preferences.
User-Friendly Interface: WordPress facilitates effortless content creation and management, catering to businesses without extensive technical knowledge.
SEO Optimization: WordPress is optimized for search engine optimization (SEO), which can help your website rank higher in search engine results and attract more visitors.
Mobile Responsiveness: WordPress websites have mobile-responsive designs, ensuring seamless display across various devices, thereby enhancing user experience.
Security Measures: With regular updates, WordPress prioritizes website security, fostering a safe and dependable platform for small business operations.
Community Support: Backed by a thriving community of users and developers, WordPress offers extensive resources and support avenues, enriching the user experience for businesses utilizing the platform.
Discover our WordPress websites by checking out our portfolio.
8. Chat GPT – Free to use
ChatGPT is an advanced conversational AI developed by OpenAI and also a must-have tool to enhance your small business.
It is very helpful in creating texts. ChatGPT can understand user input, generate coherent and contextually relevant text, and even assist in crafting engaging descriptions. Also, ChatGPT can provide creative suggestions, refine ideas, and streamline the content creation process. Whether it’s generating marketing copy, drafting blog posts, or conceptualizing visual content, ChatGPT serves as a must-have tool for enhancing productivity and creativity in content creation endeavors.
9. Mailchimp – Has free or premium monthly plans
I like to use Mailchimp since it is one of the best free online email marketing tools!
It is an email marketing platform that can be used by small businesses and entrepreneurs to create and send newsletters, promotional emails, and other types of marketing emails. You can sign up for a free account and get a range of features and integrations.
Here are some key features of Mailchimp:
Email templates: Mailchimp offers customizable email templates that make it easy to create professional-looking emails without the need for design expertise.
Segmentation and targeting: Mailchimp allows businesses to segment their email lists and target specific groups of recipients, which can improve the effectiveness of their email marketing campaigns.
Analytics and reporting: Mailchimp provides detailed analytics and reporting on the performance of your email campaigns, including open rate metrics and click-through rates.
Integrations: Mailchimp integrates with a range of tools, such as e-commerce platforms, CRM software systems, and social networks, making it easy to use. Mailchimp is completely compatible with WordPress.
Automation: Mailchimp has automation tools that allow businesses to set up trigger-based emails, such as abandoned cart emails or welcome emails.
10. Payoneer
I was happy when I found Payoneer because compared to PayPal, Payoneer allows businesses to send and receive payments in over 200 countries and regions and it has lower transaction fees and better currency conversion rates. Another huge benefit compared to PayPal is that after receiving the first 100 USD on your brand-new Payoneer account you can order a Payoneer MasterCard what you can use anywhere.
Payoneer offers businesses a convenient and secure way to send and receive payments internationally, regardless of geographical location or currency. Payoneer’s platform facilitates cross-border transactions, enabling businesses to pay suppliers, freelancers, and employees worldwide with ease.
Overall, Payoneer serves as a valuable resource for businesses operating on a global scale, offering efficient, cost-effective, and secure solutions for managing cross-border payments and facilitating international business growth.
Successful entrepreneurs must carefully consider their business requirements and objectives while selecting the optimal small business tools. Thorough evaluation of available options ensures alignment with their business model. Utilizing the right business tools enables business owners to save time, enhance efficiency, and provide high-quality service to their customers and clients.