One thing that goes very well with every business is saving costs while being productive at work. There are many tools for entrepreneurs that allow them to run their businesses efficiently.
From accounting software to employee time and attendance tracking solutions, you will find tools for every aspect of a business. From password managers for organizing your passwords to employee time and attendance tracking solutions, you will find tools for every aspect of a business.
Now, it’s easy to get drained out of resources if you are investing money in all the tools. This is even true for small startups that have just started their business.
Luckily, there are many free tools for entrepreneurs available in the market that can help you streamline and automate your entire daily operational activities.
Gone are the days when people manually do every task — from data entry to the compilation of data for analysis.
Today, companies rely on various business tools that assist their workforce in increasing their productivity.
At least one SaaS, or software as a service, technology is used by 80% of companies. By 2026, the global Software as a Service (SaaS) industry is expected to be worth USD 307.3 billion.
Companies are switching from six-day to four-day week. So how do these companies maximize the benefits of working less? By using productivity tools. Productivity tools help automate various repetitive tasks while promoting easy collaboration.
1. Improves Work Quality
With the use of the right tools like project collaboration software, managers can easily check the status of a project, review them, and share information and communicate in real-time. They can make adjustments that can improve the end result of the overall process.
2. Boosts Employee Satisfaction
Employee satisfaction can have a direct impact on their morale and productivity level.
When your employees believe that you value their contribution and care about their quality of life, it keeps them motivated and engaged. By using productivity tools, you can make life easier for them.
From automating redundant tasks like data entry to simplifying collaboration and streamlining communication, they can focus on more critical tasks. Besides, it brings transparency into the workplace, ensuring that workloads are fairly allocated.
Morale is improved, people leave on time and have a more work/life balance. Well, happy employees are the ones who stick around.
3. Provides Superior Customer Experience
Let me put it this way.
The productivity tools that we are talking about helps you complete tasks based on deadlines imposed by your customers. These business resource tools ensure that all your tasks are on schedule and you can deliver what you promised.
In short, it makes your customers happy when you can meet their expectations.
List of Free Productivity Tools That Every Entrepreneur Should Use
It can be a tedious job considering how much entrepreneurs put in just to save some extra bucks.
This article gives you a list of free tools for entrepreneurs that can save you a lot of money. Yes, you heard it right, FREE!
1. Accounting: Express Accounting
Having good accounting software can help you track and manage your finances efficiently. Express Accounting is a full-fledged accounting software solution that comes at no cost. Multiple currencies, tax flexibility, banking related tools are a few highlights of the software. This powerful accounting software for small businesses is a must-have.
You may also like to check Wave accounting if you need online accounting software.
2. Invoicing: Nutcache
Invoicing or billing software is available as a standalone application or an integrated solution with a full-fledged accounting system.
A standalone invoicing solution can come in handy for companies that can’t afford a comprehensive accounting system. Try Nutcache, free billing software for small businesses.
Nutcache, an online billing software, is completely free and promises to remain so for a lifetime. It can effectively manage quotations, online payment, outstanding follow-up, and many other business functionalities in relation to invoicing. The software, however, lacks recurring invoicing and purchase tracking.
Various other alternatives to Nutcache include Justbill, Zoho invoicing, or Reeleezee, all of which are free for limited users.
3. Human Resource Management Software: HRStop.com & Cavin HR
HRStop.com is a web-based HRMS for startups and SMEs that streamlines different HR activities. It has all the functionality of a good payroll software coupled with the human resource management features, such as leave reporting, employee self-service, etc. The software offers a free version for ten employees, making it a perfect choice for small startups.
CavinHR is also a web-based human resource software that energizes users’ business. HR teams find it simple and easy to use, which helps them realize immediate productivity gains. CavinHR automates various HR-related tasks, allowing HR teams to focus more on people strategy. The solution is loaded with employee self-service, leave management, attendance and time tracking, payroll, performance management, and social tools for collaboration.
If you are looking for paid software, here is our article on the Top HRM Software in India.
4. CRM: Zoho CRM
It’s no rocket science, CRM is a must-have tool for all businesses today. And, gone are the days when one had to sign big fat cheques to set up a CRM system for their business. Zoho CRM’s free version never lets you feel like you are using it for free. Email integration, sales automation, HR management, workflow automation, mobile support are a few of the many features it provides. On top of that, it is cloud-based that allows you to access it from virtually any place.
Another CRM that you can try is Apptivo.
5. Email Campaign: Reach Mail
Reach Mail is an email marketing service that allows you to send 15,000 free emails each month for up to 5,000 contacts. Email marketing is one of the most preferred marketing channels to reach out to a wide range of audiences. It offers you custom email templates, reporting tools, autoresponders, and social media sharing, to name a few.
You can also try MailChimp, which provides 12,000 free emails each month.
6. Collaboration and Project Management: Podio
Podio is a web-based collaboration tool that helps you work in teams with ease. Assign tasks, conduct online meetings, share files, or communicate internally — you can do this all from your mobile phone or tablet device. This free tool for entrepreneurs is a must-have for businesses working in teams on multiple projects simultaneously. You must keep in mind that Podio is free for up to 5 users, though.
For bigger teams, you can go for Asana that supports 15 free users. Some other alternatives include HipChat and Zoho Contact Manager.
7. Document Management Software: Google Docs
Google Docs is a free tool for entrepreneurs. If you are not ready to pay for the expensive MS Office, Google Docs is here for you. It’s a web-based service wherein you can create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings, and forms. And the best part is that all your documents get stored on your Google Drive. You can access it from anywhere, using any device.
But if you are looking for an install-based MS office alternative, you can try Apache Open Office or LibreOffice.
8. Video Conferencing Tool: Zoom
With remote working becoming the norm these days, the meeting room conference has been replaced with video conferencing platforms. One such free tool for entrepreneurs is Zoom that seamlessly brings your in-person and remote teams together. You can use it to make free calls, host meetings, and conduct webinars.
A few of the other best free video conferencing tools you can consider using are Skype and Google Meet.
9. Appointment Scheduler: Calendly
Calendly is an excellent appointment scheduler software that allows you to book meetings and keep track of all your appointments in one place. The best part is that you can share your calendar URL with the available time slots, and your clients can book meetings at their convenience. It integrates with Wix and Google Calendar.
10. : Canva
People like to see visually appealing content online. Using free tools like Canva can help you create creatives for various marketing purposes, such as PPC ads, social media, magazines, and much more. It also comes in with plenty of free stock photography that you can customize to give your personal touch.
That was a complete list of free tools for entrepreneurs that they can use to maximize their profits. However, not every useful tool can be free.
Paid Tools for Business That You Can’t-Miss
1. G-Suite
Emails are very important when it comes to establishing professional business communication. G-Suite gives your business to have a valid identity of its own. Besides, it provides several other features that facilitate business functions in the areas of documentation, presentations, and more.
Google Workspace Business Starter plan starts at ₹125 per user per month.
2. Ahrefs
Ahref lets you analyze your competitor’s website and understand what’s working for them and how you can improve. It enables you to better understand your customer’s needs. Every business today has an online presence. Ahrefs gives you insights on what your customers are searching for, which of your web pages are performing better, and much more.
Wrap Up
The list of free tools for entrepreneurs will help increase the overall productivity of your organization. So, what are you waiting for?