10 Must-Have Tools for Online Businesses
When I started my business, I had no idea if there were tools that can make your life easier as an online business owner. There is and implementing them has made a world of difference.
Keep in mind that the type of tool that you use depends on the type of business that you have. Moreover, some tools will be more relevant to you, based on what stage you are at in your online business.
I’m a big believer that any time you can leverage technology, you should. This will allow you to scale, grow, automate, and free up your time.
So here are some of my favourites:
1. Project Management tool
This is very important because from now onwards you’re going to be your own project manager. You can use tools such as Trello and Asana to manage projects and stay organised. They have free versions available which is a bonus:
You can maintain a list of tasks under each of the projects
Add comments to specific tasks
Add an attachment to the tasks and Projects
Add checklist for a tasks
You can invite your client or team to join where they can make updates or see the status of the tasks.
2. Email Management tool
Having an Email list is very important to grow your business. You must have a good tool that helps you manage this.
MailChimp and MailerLite are both used extensively among new online business owners, both have a FREE plan too.
The Benefits of using these tools are:
Segregating emails based on various types of clients or customers
Sending email campaigns
Automating email response
Exporting or importing email list.
Creating landing page or forms
3. Video/Audio Conferencing Tool
You will need a video/audio conferencing tool for discovery calls with clients. Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Skype are good for this purpose. They allow you to take audio/video calls, group calls, send messages and share files. They also have free versions available.
4. Graphic Design Tool
This one is a must for everyone who is starting a new online business as budgets are tight and graphics will be required for your website and social media posts. Canva is an amazing tool for those who aren’t graphic designers. It is user friendly to use and can help you create amazing graphics with ease. Canva comes with a FREE plan as well.
5. Payment App/tool
You have got your first client, but you are confused on how to receive payment. Okay let me help you with that. Tools such as PayPal, Stripe, ClickBank, JVZoo can be used to send and receive payments. There are some transactional charges for receiving international payment so do check before you start using any of these.
6. Video Creation Tools
Sometimes you need a tool to create videos to record your screen for showing your work to the client, training or recording a short course video. Loom is a great tool for this job and you’re going to love it. There is also a free version for this tool.
7. Chrome Extensions
There are some useful Chrome extensions that will make life easier. I have been using “Full page screen capture” – to take the screenshot, “Google Analytics” – this will help you check if google analytics is installed on a website (For web developers mainly), “FB pixels” – to check if FB pixels are installed and working correctly, “ColorZilla” to select a particular colour code from a web page. There are so many out there so some research might be required to find what’s best for your business.
8. Text and Grammar Checker
Whether you’re a copywriter or not, you will need a tool to check grammar and spelling when writing content for messages, documents, social media posts etc. Grammarly is your go-to tool to verify the content you have written. They have a free plan too!.
9. Password Management Tool
LastPass - This tool is a lifesaver. Once you save a password in LastPass, you'll always have it when you need it; logging in is fast and easy. When you're ready to make a purchase, your profile will fill all your payment and shipping details for you. The built-in password generator creates long randomized passwords that protect against hacking. Keep all your notes safe and easy to find. Conveniently and safely share passwords and notes with anyone. It also alerts you if your personal information is at risk. It also comes with a free version.
10. Storing and Sharing Data
It is a good idea to have a cloud-based storage system so that the load can be taken off your hard drive. Some out there are Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive etc. My personal favourite is Google Drive. Google Drive not only lets you store your data securely but activities like sharing, editing etc has also been made easy. It is a great tool for sharing documents and making live changes.
I hope you have found this useful, and it helps put in place some organisation and automation.
