5 Small Business Tools Every Startup Entrepreneur Should Know About

Small business owners and startup entrepreneurs have a challenging road ahead as they enter the new year. With sudden changes to the U.S. Monetary Policy implemented by the Federal Government at the end of November in 2021, and the surging rate of inflation - these are only a few of the current issues facing upcoming business owners.

While millions of Americans are leaving the workforce permanently, with an estimated 4.5 million employees quitting their jobs in November of last year; it’s only one of the many things that will see a plethora of employees seeking out exciting and innovative business ventures for the coming year.

Real-world application of business ventures might be a bit more challenging than anticipated, which can hinder the road to success for many as they seek out new entrepreneurial avenues.

But it’s not all as difficult as it may seem, as various business tools exist in the online world to assist business owners and startup entrepreneurs to have a better grip on the operational progress of their business.

Here’s a list of the top five business tools any young and ambitious entrepreneur should be using to help form their business in 2022.

Kickstarter

Gaining mass financial support can be a tough challenge, as many banks and financial institutions aren’t always as lenient with first-time applicants. To help boost the initial funding process, entrepreneurs are now looking towards using Kickstarter as a way to receive global crowdfunding.

The platform is based in the United States, but entrepreneurs from any part of the world can use it. Kickstarter, just like other popular crowdfunding platforms, makes it relatively easy for any person to pledge money towards a certain project.

Finally, it’s easy and simple to use. Eliminating all complex layers, giving entrepreneurs a better opportunity to secure their startup funding.

ZenBusiness

Depending on the type of business one is looking to form, having assistance with the legal and administrative processing makes it easier for entrepreneurs to focus more on operational procedures.

ZenBusiness is a platform that offers online incorporation services. The service provider has a simple pricing structure, making it not just easy, but affordable to register and form a new business.

Forming any business can take a lot of time - so having a team that can deal with these processes can cut formation times a lot.

SCORE

It’s not always about what you know, but also who you know.

SCORE is a dedicated partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration, that guides new business owners and startup entrepreneurs through the complex networking process. The platform enables users to have access to various business mentors, advisors, and support.

Everything in our daily lives has become digitized these days, and in the era of a global pandemic, physically networking with other business owners isn’t always possible. Thus, SCORE offers resources, webinars, and online courses that give better insight into how entrepreneurs can improve their networking skills.

GoDaddy

Whether you’re an online retail store or not, having a website creates more brand awareness for businesses. With a website, customers will be able to read and learn more about the business, its mission, and what their plans are for the future.

Websites don’t need to be expensive and complex, and GoDaddy makes it relatively easy for nearly any person to create a website in just a few minutes. More so, it’s become incredibly affordable to do so. Some GoDaddy plans are free at the initial start, and as your business grows, you can perhaps purchase a premium plan.

Integrating a website, hosted by GoDaddy with a Kickstarter campaign makes it feel more authentic and credible, for both customers and potential investors.

Google

It might seem a bit redundant at first, but not many entrepreneurs are aware of the seemingly endless free business tools offered by Google.

Google has been making some headlines in recent years, offering all of its tools, both for personal and professional use for free, to all.

From spreadsheets, calendars, marketing, and ads - everything is accessible in one place, all you need is a Google or Gmail account. When starting, financial resources are limited, and leveraging the tools that are offered for free makes it easier for any new entrepreneur to get their business off the ground.

Google’s whole interface and layout of its platforms are designed to attract users and help them navigate across the various tools and features offered by each.

Final Thoughts

These are only a few of the best small business tools one should be aware of when starting a new business. Having additional assistance when starting, makes the whole business formation process a lot easier and more streamlined.

Some tools may require you to pay, but on the bright side, one can get away with minimal financial resources during the initial startup phase. Business tools exist to make the job of the owner or entrepreneur easier, allowing them better access to their market, and potential investors.

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thank you for sharing

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Google Drive has been a game changer for me professionally. Basically a free and arguably better version of Microsoft Office that anyone can use.

For websites, I’ve used Wix to decent success in the past. Haven’t tried GoDaddy.

Thanks for sharing, @pierre!

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I personally use ZenBusiness. They’re somewhat helpful in giving you reminders of when to renew your SOIs, etc. And they make incorporating private and easy.

I also use Gdrive with business partners to share docs for my e-commerce business.

I prefer Namecheap over Godaddy due to it being cheaper (and Namecheap makes attaching an email via privateemail.com much easier than doing Godaddy + Google business email – and it’s cheaper too for email).

One tool I’d recommend though is Xero or QBO for accounting, because probably the most important tool in business is accounting. Without knowing the math, you have no compass or map to know where to direct your business, what’s causing your PNL to go up/down/sideways. Accounting is boring, annoying, yet crucially important if you want to know what to prioritize and what to eliminate in your business.

Not to mention it makes life very easy/convenient for year-end taxes when you have to pay your dues (or claim losses) to the tax man.

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Thanks for the business resources! I use Google for domains because it’s cheaper than GoDaddy. I have a business email with Google workspace but wondering if I should hold onto it because I needed a HIPAA-compliant/encrypted email with GoDaddy. Dropbox also has HIPPA options for storage. For bookkeeping, I use Wave. Hello Bonsai is awesome for contracts.

Take a look at RAYL.Apptive - it is a super app with 14 software tools for small businesses to run their marketing, sales, operations, website, communications, customer relations, human relations, financials, and more. All for $19.95 CND per month and includes 10 users per account at no extra charge. If you process credit cards, you will want to keep an eye on RAYL.com to save money.

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Very interesting article. Thanks for sharing!