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When thinking about starting a small business many things might cross your mind about what business tools you need in order to be successful. The bottom line is that there are a few things you need to be successful at a bare minimum. Not to say there is not a whole lot more to it, but these core business tools will absolutely provide you a great foundation to work from.
1. Accounting Software
I know this one seems pretty obvious, but many businesses that are just starting out simply just don’t implement the right foundation to be successful. You would be surprised how many business owners that I have worked with in the past have no way of tracking customer purchases/expenses. Many of the others either write things down on paper or use the good ole fashion excel method. Not that there is anything with excel, heck I probably use it for far to many things myself. What you really need is a cloud based accounting system like Quickbooks or Zoho. I personally use Zoho, but I have used Quickbooks in the past and know of many people that are very happy with it. Both of these options will have ways to track all the sales/expenses your business does as well as a number of other cool things that can come in handy.
2. Business Insurance
When I first started out, I thought why do I need business insurance? I am just an online marketer. Well in talking to a few of my mentors, I came to the realization that anyone can sue for just about anything. It’s important that you protect yourself and your business. In my initial shopping I found that pricing on these policies varies greatly depending on what you need. After getting several quotes that I found to be way overpriced I ended up going with Hiscox. It gave me a no hassle price in a matter of moments without even having to speak with anyone as well as all the documentation that I needed. Not to mention it was significantly cheaper than any other quote I received.
3. Website
This is one that many business pass up when they first start out because of the cost of having a website built. Unfortunately, in my wholehearted opinion there is really no way to avoid this. Yes, there are solutions out there like Wix, Sqaurespace and even Godaddy website builder that tout the ability for business owners to create there own website on a budget. While small business owners can certainly do this the problems that it may cause them down the road are probably not worth the savings up front. What I would recommend here is to come up with all the content you want on your website including things like images, customer testimonials, services and products you want to advertise etc. Next I would look for a good hosting provider and pick out a domain name and hosting package for your business website. There are a few that I recommend including Bluehost, SiteGround, and WP Engine! Once you have done that its time to pick out a designer for your new website! You can see my package pricing here. Depending on your level of technical capability in maintaining your own site you might also need to have someone maintain your site, you can view my pricing for that here.
Obviously there are many more things that small business may or may not need to be successful! What are some of the tools you use for your business and why?