Three Business Management Tools Every Small Business Should Use

Do you know what is harder than starting a small business? It is running a small business. Most small business owners become a one-man army to cut costs. From being the receptionist and an accountant to a salesman and the inventory person, they must do it all.

While this is great monetarily, it can become too much for the owner and lead to burnout. This can, in turn, affect the overall performance of the business.

This is where technology can be a lifesaver for small businesses, yet again. Digital business management tools can take the load off the owners by automating day-to-day tasks, streamlining processes, and saving money.

If you are a small business owner and have been looking for a way to ease your workload while saving money, you are at the right place.

1. HubSpot CRM: Tool for Customer Relationship Management

Customer is king, especially for a small business. Therefore, it is important to be able to manage customers in a way they feel prioritized. Only then can businesses retain their customers. Doing this manually can be too much effort for small business owners.

Subscribing to a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system like HubSpot CRM can pay back really well. It allows you to give customers exactly what they need. You can manage all your customers in one place with automatic data entry and lead management. Moreover, you can also get insights from customer behavior and feedback and use it to plan your next strategies.

An Overview of a Customer Profile on HubSpot

Apart from managing customers, you can also do sales, digital marketing, and content management with HubSpot. The best part about HubSpot is that its basic plan is completely free. This is great if you are unsure about using CRM for your business. You can try it out for a few months before fully committing to it.

2. Motion: Tool for Project Management

Suddenly getting multiple clients requires smooth project management. Otherwise, you can miss a deadline and risk losing a customer. The chances of that happening are very high if only one person is managing multiple clients simultaneously. However, having a project management tool can do wonders.

Motion is a great project management tool for starters. If you have been singlehandedly managing stuff, it can be a total lifesaver for you. You can create and manage multiple projects, add team members, and assign tasks with deadlines. Moreover, it uses AI to manage and prioritize workload so that you can get more work done. It also has a mobile application, so your team members can see their tasks on the go as well.

Motion’s Calendar View

It is ideal for businesses with members less than 50. You and your team members can track time and manage tasks in a convenient manner. On top of that, you can get all this at an affordable price of $12 per month (for each user). With Motion’s great task management, you can let go of the workload and become more productive.

3. CashAnalytics: Tool for Cash Flow Management

A stable cash flow is the most important thing for a business. It all depends on the knowledge of where your money is coming from and where it’s going. If you have transparent information about it, only then can you turn your cash flow into a positive one i.e. the money coming in is more than it is going out.

If you struggle with managing your cash flow, you need a cash flow management tool like CashAnalytics. It automates manual cash flow management so that you do not have to manually crunch numbers all the time. It also lets you know about your cash flow, how good or bad it is, in a jiffy.

In case the situation is too dire financially, you can do strategic planning with CashAnalytics to improve the cash flow.

Figure 1 Cash Flow Projection

With CashAnalytics’ superior cash flow management, you can ensure your company’s sustainable growth. You can even connect it to your bank accounts or accounting software for instant reporting. However, it is on the end. But for the value it provides, it is a good investment.

Bonus Tips for Using Business Management Tools

Running a business can be an overwhelming feat. However, if you adapt to the above-mentioned business management tools, you might find your life becoming easier and business processes becoming smoother. Here are some tips on how to maximize the benefits of these tools:

• Make sure your office has stable internet connectivity because all these tools are online. If you do not, you can check out Spectrum Internet packages to find dependable internet on a budget.
• Before paying for a tool’s subscription, use it on a free trial to see if it is compatible with all your other software.
• Be on the lookout for the available updates for the mobile apps for these tools. This ensures you can access all the features on the go as well.
• If you have non-tech-savvy employees, arrange monthly training sessions so that they can use these tools to their full potential.