5 Essential Tools Every Small Business Owner Needs for Peak Productivity

Want to boost your business in 2018? It’s essential to keep up with the latest technology to make your small business more successful. Having the right tools can help you consistently hit your goals.

There are plenty of online tools that claim to increase your productivity, but you need to find the ones that work best for your business. Here are five of our favorite productivity tools to help take your small business to the next level.

Basecamp is a fantastic tool for small business owners. It’s user-friendly and straightforward, yet offers advanced functionality. Having been around for over ten years, it’s proven to be reliable. The dashboard lets you see an overview of all your projects, highlighting the most critical ones so you can focus on what’s important. The calendar tab allows you to keep track of deadlines and important events.

Basecamp is perfect for managing complex projects with large teams. You can easily organize tasks, assign them to team members, set deadlines, add notes, and upload files. You can also create templates for recurring projects and archive completed ones. It supports over 20 apps that add extra features, like generating reports or syncing with Outlook. Available on Android and iPhone, Basecamp offers a free 30-day trial with no credit card required. The pricing plan is straightforward at $99 per month for unlimited users and projects.

Evernote is another excellent tool designed to improve your efficiency in note-taking. It lets you take notes in various formats—text, audio, video, images, and more—making it easier to organize your projects intuitively. With Evernote, you’ll never lose important notes, as it syncs across multiple devices. Supported on iOS and Android, Evernote is free for basic use, with a premium option at $5 per user per month for more advanced features.

For accounting software, Xero is a top choice. This web-based financial app meets the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. It’s easy to use and aligns with your business’s priorities. Xero’s powerful features give you real-time cash flow updates, invoice design, multi-currency transactions, and stock control. It also integrates with third-party apps to manage inventory, payments, invoicing, time tracking, payroll, and CRM. After a 30-day trial, paid plans start at $9 per month.

Hiring the right candidates is crucial for your business. GoodHire simplifies background checks with its automated, efficient platform. This award-winning software is perfect for businesses looking to streamline hiring quality staff. It offers fast and accurate employment screening, including credit score checks, international checks, peer-to-peer screening, personal background checks, and drug screening. GoodHire works on both mobile and browser-based devices, with basic background checks starting at $29.99.

HubSpot CRM is an excellent choice for managing customer relationships. It lets your sales team get started without changing existing workflows. The user interface is simple and intuitive, allowing you to monitor customer communication through email, phone calls, and meetings. HubSpot offers its main features and integrations for free, including lead flows, analytics, contact management, company insights, and third-party integrations. For advanced features, the Starter Plan is available at $42 per month, which includes meetings, content creation, messages, and email marketing.