5 Small Business Tools for Young Entrepreneurs

You can be a successful young entrepreneur easily today, thanks to the long list of affordable tools that we didn’t have access to earlier. In this era of cloud software, the paywalls have fallen, and you can have most things for just a tiny bit of the earlier price, readily accessible on the go.

You can market your business easily, keep tabs on your customers and personalize your offer. All this is possible with the right set of tools, but which ones are right for you?

With so many tools to choose from, how to find the right one?

The three main factors that should shape your decision-making process when selecting the right software solutions for your business are availability, usability, and cost.

The best way to find out what will really help you? You weigh the pros and cons of each option to determine the ROI of each tool. Is the cost of purchasing worth it or not?

All of this requires extensive research, which takes up a lot of time. Often times, you’ll have to take the trial and error route until you find the right fit. 

To make things just a bit easier on you, we’ve made a list of the best small business tools that young entrepreneurs find useful, the main factors being how affordable and accessible the solutions are.

Since time is undoubtedly money, let’s get started, shall we?

More Bang for Your Buck Software Options for You to Choose From

The right software saves young entrepreneurs time, money, and the frustration of adding yet another task to an overflowing to-do list. Choosing wisely helps you increase business efficiency through automation without sacrificing the quality of your day-to-day interactions.

The best software for running a business include the following five options:

Microsoft Office. A multi-program suite of software, MS Office offers users access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint among other useful applications.

• In order to create invoices, spreadsheets, and slideshow presentations, you’re going to need a program that delivers day and night.
• Opting to purchase separate word processing, expense tracking, and multimedia software costs you more than investing in Office.
• One of the distinct advantages of using its programs is that you can save them to the cloud and work on them on any device including your phone or tablet.

Adobe Creative Cloud. Also known as Adobe CC, the design software helps new entrepreneurs create a brand identity.

• With programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, designing personalized marketing materials is easy.
• From creating a logo from scratch to crafting the company catalog, the tools provided with a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud are numerous which helps you eliminate the need to hire an expensive design firm.
• You have greater say over the design process and have access to a large library of stock photography if you don’t have access to your own photos for your website, marketing materials, and social media accounts.

Hootsuite. Save time by automating some of the content that you choose to post to your social media accounts.

• The platform allows you to comment on posts, reply to messages, and even track the reach of marketing campaigns through analytics.
• A single dashboard format allows you to access a wide variety of tools that allow you to automate some of the work you’re required to do to put your business on the map online.
• Having the option to schedule posts in advance helps you maintain the busy schedule of a young entrepreneur without failing to reach out to and connect with your target audience.

Trello. The project management platform allows you to assign individual projects to various members of your business’ team.

• That way, they have access to tasks and deadlines while you have a dedicated method of measuring their progress.
• This type of software is especially helpful if your employees work remotely because you can’t check in with them in-person.
• It allows you to set goals and even communicate through various tools contained throughout the platform such as direct messaging and commenting on tasks.

Salesforce. Customer Relationship Management or CRM is an important part of your daily business agenda. Having a platform that makes the task easier for you is ideal because it allows you to maintain customer relationships effortlessly with the click of a mouse or swipe of a finger.

• Gain insight into purchasing behavior, demographics, and which employees on your team made contact with the customer.
• CRM allows you to treat each customer like a VIP instead of a mere statistic.

The above list is a sampling of the types of software available for young businesspeople like yourself. Each is readily accessible on multiple platforms and offer pricing plans that fit your needs.

Test before you buy it

If possible, sign up for a free trial of the software so you can test it out to see if it offers the solutions you hope for in regard to your business. Some providers will offer free plans that allow you to start out without incurring an expense. Then, you can switch to a higher tier plan when your needs change and expand.

ALWAYS opt for a free trial first, even if you intend to purchase the software. This allows you to use its tools and features longer for less money!

A few more tips when selecting your software and packages:

• Never lock yourself into a payment plan that doesn’t offer flexibility because sooner or later, you will either lack features or pay for features you never use.
• Go for scalable solutions instead. When the workload increases, you can scale up. When it’s lower, you can scale down again.
• Avoid paying too much initially because you might use some features in the future.
• Pay for the less expensive option and upgrade when the time is right to do so. Otherwise, you may pay an exorbitant amount for programs that you seldom use or don’t get a good response from.
• If a certain solution doesn’t work well for you, don’t be afraid to explore different options. The value some software brings to one business isn’t necessarily the value it brings to another so keep that in mind.

Strategize, Simplify, and Save Valuable Resources with the Right Software

As a young entrepreneur, keeping operating costs low increases your chance of profiting from your business transactions. The right software simplifies your work life so you’re able to spend your time doing important things.

Now that you have several options to choose from with various pricing models, you can select the software that makes the most sense for your business. After all, you’re the one who will be using it daily and paying for it, too.