Running a thriving small business is the dream of every new entrepreneur. Not only do you become your own boss, but you also get complete control of your vision and, ultimately, the outcome of your business.
But running a successful business is not without its challenges. You have to manage finances effectively, ensure compliance with local industry policies and procedures, monitor performance, and do so much more.
Thankfully, there are many helpful online tools that any entrepreneur could take advantage of when running a business to ensure its success.
Five little-known but valuable online tools you may want to look at
Online paystub generators
Depending on your state of operation, you may be required by state laws to provide your employees with pay stubs at the end of every payment period. Done manually, this can be a taxing process, especially if you have tens of employees.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. By using an online paystub maker solution, you can quickly create professional pay stubs for your employees. All you have to do is fill in the required information, preview and choose your desired template, and download to print.
Website builder
Whether you are a startup or have been in business for a long time, you need to have a robust online presence. The first step towards building a solid online presence is by creating a website.
If you are looking to create a website but are not yet ready to bear the cost of getting a custom-made website for your business, you can take advantage of free website builders such as Wix or WordPress.
Google my business
Google My Business is among the most helpful yet underutilized tools by small businesses. Every month over 100 billion searches are run on google. That is too much business to miss out on.
The good news is Google My Business is a free tool. It lets you list your business easily on Google products like google maps, google+, and the search engine. Google my business is an excellent way to build your web presence and help your business generate more leads.
Streak
If you are thinking of getting a manageable and straightforward CRM tool, Streak is all that and more. It helps you manage your contacts, projects, deals, and messages from your inbox, meaning you do not have to log into a different app to use it.
Streak is designed for people who are not tech-savvy, and it does not require technical know-how to set it up.
You can use the tool to manage the hiring process, keeping track of the investment projects, managing deals, among others. It also allows you to schedule email sending times and notifies you when your emails are read.
Google docs (and friends)
Google Docs, Forms, Slides, and Sheets are among the most important free online solutions for business owners.
These tools can be very beneficial, especially when different team members need to collaborate on a file. They allow team members to make their contributions in a single file, with the changes reflected in real-time, thus eliminating the need for back-and-forth emails between members.
If you haven’t tried out these tools yet, you are missing out on a lot.
Final words
Now that you know the most helpful online tools for small businesses, there is no reason why you should not take your business to the next level. Even though this list is by no means exhaustive, it can be a good starting point as you introduce more online tools to make the running of your business much smoother.