Within every business regardless of size there is a requirement for a number of functions, from finance to marketing, sales to production, design to IT – you know what’s needed for your company. You’ll also know which options you struggle with, where multi-tasking has become the norm and which areas have been long fingered as there simply isn’t time to research what’s involved in making a change for the better.
So, in this post I’ve put together a selection of online resources for the small business owner to help them find tools to more effectively manage their resources in areas that can frequently become a chore as finding the right solution is a job in itself!
4 Alternatives To Online Photo Editor Picnik – the much loved photo editing software platform owned by Google closed down 19th April and although those on Google Plus can continue to enjoy many of the features through Creative Suite, this post offers some free alternatives to help fill the void. Mashable.
Best 10 Free Stock Photo Download Sites – when the budget doesn’t stretch to a photographer or a subscription service some of these sites offer an alternative for little or no cost, but remember to check out the actual permissions/licence attached to any photo you download. Tezeal.
Salesforce Alternatives – Salesforce is one of the most well known CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools available and you may be able to avail of a free trial to establish if it’s for your business. This post shares a few other options to review also. Nutshell.
Latest Accounting Reviews – currently listing 12 accounting packages some of which you may already be familiar with, this is an excellent review site with details of the various packages reviewed for you. PC Pro.
5 Free & Helpful Wordpress Resources – currently running on over 73 million sites/blogs throughout the world, Wordpress is used by businesses large and small to create and maintain their presence online. If this is your software of choice for the web, this post shares 5 options to help you work with it. A Small Orange.
4 Tools For Better Agency-Client Collaboration – depending on the nature of your business, there may be occasions where you need to work as part of a team or a partner alongside your client. Options listed on this post are aimed at ensuring the communications run as smoothly as possible. Mashable.
13 Tools To Simplify Your Social Media Marketing – as your activities on social media evolve, it’s worth reviewing how best to manage your presence and generate content. This fantastic post covers a multitude of options to enable you to more efficiently and effectively develop your social media marketing. Social Media Examiner.
Top 10 Free Time Tracking Apps For Freelancers – time is money, particularly when you work with multiple clients or projects where you need to charge by the hour or track work completed. This selection of apps offers a solution to suit most small businesses. Freelance Switch.
10 Apps To Keep Your Business Organized – a selection of apps to help you manage your calendar, projects, networking & more as suggested by a panel of entrepreneurs. Mashable.
With a large number of the options listed above the entry level is either free or at very low cost. Where there is a charge it’s not unusual to get access to either a demo version or a trial of the programme, both of which should be used to ensure it’s the right fit before you sign up. With the vast majority of programmes if you’re not happy a few months down the line you can export/import data and move to another option, but time spent testing is time you won’t regret.
Businesses are more conscious of costs these days but once you more effectively manage the processes, productivity will increase and the investment in securing the correct platform or app, or on purchasing a licence for use will pay for itself in less time than you might expect.
Related: 51 Free Resources For Small Businesses
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Image: “Toolbox with tools. Skrewdriver, hammer, handsaw and wrench. 3d/Shutterstock“
