8 Resources for Business Owners That Won’t Break The Bank
Let’s be real, it really does takes money to make money. Starting a business isn’t cheap. Even more difficult is launching a dream on a budget. When you have limited funds, but don’t want to wait in launching your dream, you become very particular about what you spend your money on. Here’s my list of 8 resources that I use almost every day that won’t break the bank.
1. Google Apps ($5/user/month)
Google is life. I mean who doesn’t have a gmail account nowadays? With that in mind, why not sign up for Google’s all-in-one office management solution. If you have a Gmail account, you already know about many of Google’s Apps: Google Drive, Google+, Google Docs, Calendar, and so on… Google Apps will allow your entire team to collaborate on documents and other items, proving to be a complete solution for you and your new business.
2. Dropbox ($10)
Services like DropBox are really helpful for many reasons. I use to transfer files back and forth between my iPhone, iPad, Mac mini and Macbook Pro for business. You can imagine how tedious that was. Dropbox Pro allows me to access my files easily and they also give you a ton of space (1TB) for $10/month. If you haven’t tried the free version yet, what are you waiting for? Its 2G worth of free space. Oh and for $5 bucks more, you can have unlimited space!!! How awesome is that?!?!
3. Quickbooks ($12.95/month)
I’m pretty sure you’ve heard of Quickbooks and I may be highly biased, but it does everything that you’re looking for in accounting software. Bill management, Invoicing and Payroll are all covered. You can also print out balance sheets and profit/loss reports. Quickbooks also allows the ability to prepare your tax forms, print out checks, accept online payments and integrate with your Paypal or Square accounts. They are currently offering 12 month discount rates so Sign up now!
4. Adobe Suite Creative Cloud ($49.99/month)
Gone are the days when you have to drop $1000+ bucks on Adobe products at one time. Haha, can anyone sympathize with me? Don’t get me wrong, I still use my Creative Suites (now discontinued) religiously even after Adobe came out with their Creative Cloud. I mean, It did cost me a pretty penny. But now, those especially seeking out Photoshop to create awesome graphics can use Adobe’s subscription service and either pay $19.99 a month for that specific software or get all of their products for $49.99 a month. You also get a discount if you are also a student (or still have a student email ::blink::) Find out more here.
5. Microsoft Office ($10/month)
This will be the only time you would catch me using a Microsoft product. Yes, I am an Apple snob and I don’t mind admitting it. Aside from that, Microsoft Word is the first thing I had to have when I got my very first Macbook. I type all of my documents out using it. For only $10 a month, you can get Word, Powerpoint, Excel and all those other Microsoft documenting must haves.
6. MailChimp (FREE)
I’ve used the free version of MailChimp for years. Who doesn’t love free right? The premium version is $10/month, which isn’t bad, and allows you to send out automated emails. Mailchimp is very user friendly and generates tons of leads for startups as well as Fortune 500 companies. Features also include monitoring of user engagement and sales.
7. Buffer ($10/month)
Buffer is a holy grail for social media. Chances are that your business is utilizing at least 3 social media platforms. Chances are that you worry about the frequency at which you post and what time your post. Buffer not only allows you to control all of your social media accounts at one time, but also provides you with analytics to help better your posting content. They are offering 7 day trials for the $10/month package which allows up to 10 platforms. You can also try it for free indefinitely using their 1 platform package. Check it out!
8. CoSchedule ($15/month)
CoSchedule is very useful for getting your blogging on schedule. It is a lightweight WordPress plugin that provides a complete solution for managing editorial calendars as well as automates social-media promotion. If you’re looking for another simple way of getting your content out there, CoSchedule is what you need. Check out their 14-day trial.
Depending on how much you’ve set aside monthly to invest in your business, I highly suggest these resources. They are basics, at least for me, that will keep your business running in tip top condition. Customer Service is also top notch. Do you have any favorite business resources?