Did you know that over 65% of businesses fail before they cross the ten-year mark. It’s true. In this day and age, you’ll need more than a grand business idea and excellent business chops to succeed in this hypercompetitive market. Besides your brain and your labor force, you’ll also need resources. Tools, in other words.
With the right tools, you can streamline your operations, facilitate effective communication among the team, and direct your business trajectory towards your desired direction. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur or an experienced businessman, you’ll always need to have the right equipment to deliver and package your offering in the best way possible.
Without further ado, here are some essential tools that every business needs in its arsenal.
8 Tools Your Business Needs to Succeed
1. Website Builders like WordPress
Your community and the world at large are connected by a massive network: the Internet. If you're not leveraging the potential of this resource, you're essentially leaving money on the table for no reason. As such, be sure to set up a digital footprint for your business as soon as possible. An excellent way to do this is by setting up a website with your business domain and assets.
You don’t need to hire a coder or programmer to set up a basic storefront—codeless website builders like WordPress, Wix, and Shopify have all the features necessary to set up, design, and start an online business. With over 26 million eCommerce stores in existence, and thousands being made every day, it’s more important than ever to create a digital store to boost and broadcast your brand’s offerings to your target market.
2. Project Management Tools like Trello
As an entrepreneur, you’ll be juggling multiple time-critical tasks, and doing it often. To avoid any confusion, consider getting project management tools like Trello or monday.com. These tools can help you organize tasks, assign deadlines, and track progress visually in one platform.
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This isn’t only helpful for you; your entire team can benefit greatly from these tools as well. By centralizing all tasks, milestones, and communications into a single platform, your team will become more productive and aligned with the team’s tasks.
Projects are a crucial part of business operations, whether you're managing a small team or running a multinational corporation. If your current process is disorganized, get a project management tool to help you and your team perform to their best level.
3. Graphic Design Tools like Canva
Marketing efforts are a big part of how a business is perceived. If you want to stand out from the crowd, integrating decent and appropriate graphics into your marketing campaign is a great way to get some eyes on your brand. That said, not everyone is proficient in Photoshop and photo editing software. If you fall under that department as well, don’t worry: Canva can help you out.
Canva is an online graphic design tool that simplifies the design process, making it accessible even to those without any design experience. It offers an extensive library of templates, fonts, images, and design elements for a wide variety of marketing materials.
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Besides its plethora of design features, it's also collaborative, giving you and your team the leisure of working together on a design in real time. Need even more help with your graphic design? Check the best AI art generators of 2023 here.
4. Data Storage like Google Cloud or Physical Servers
Your business’s financial reports, purchasing history, customer information, and other sensitive information are collectively referred to as data. Your business collects data every operational day. And of course, the bigger the business, the more data your business accumulates. That said, data is not just a byproduct to forget about.
These data points are things you as an entrepreneur can look back to and make informed decisions on. If a competitor or a bad-faith employee gets ahold of this data and uses it for their own benefit, it can be to the detriment of your company. As such, it’s vital to keep your data in secure data storage facilities like Google Cloud or physical servers. Google Cloud and other cloud-based facilities’ main draw is its easy accessibility—allowing you and your team to retrieve and use information anytime you need it.
On the other hand, physical servers offer you complete control over your data at the cost of higher upfront costs and ongoing maintenance. For highly sensitive data, these two can be good solutions for your data storage needs.
5. Computer Peripherals and Accessories
If you’re operating a team in an office, you’ll need to provide them state of the art tools to ensure that they’re working as efficiently as possible. And one major tool (or rather, toolset) to consider is computer peripherals and accessories. These components make up a major part of a business’s efficiency and operations, especially those conducted in an office setting.
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For instance, if you’re running a call center agency, you’ll need headphones and microphones to conduct calls and answer customer queries. It’s also best to purchase bulk headphones so that you won’t have to scramble to find replacements when one unit inevitably breaks down. Plus, ordering in bulk typically allows you to score a discount and grants you and your team a sense of familiarity with the product.
6. Cybersecurity and Anti-Virus Tools Like Malwarebytes
Data breaches are becoming more common and more sophisticated, and small businesses are often victims of these unwanted attacks. To defend yourself from these threats, cybersecurity and anti-virus tools like MalwareBytes can help ensure that your business’s computers and electronic devices are secured.
Having good security over your digital files is crucial not only for the continuity of your operations but also for your business’s reputation. It’s never a good look having to send warning messages to your customers to change their password because of a data breach. As such, protect yourself and prevent these cyber attacks from happening in the first place. This way, you’ll maintain good operational flow and uphold your customer's trust.
7. Collaboration Tools like Slack
In today's modern workspace, real-time collaboration and communication are crucial. And even if everyone’s physically in the same building, having to move from cubicle to cubicle can be a timely endeavor. Fortunately, tools like Slack provide a digital environment that allows your team to communicate in real time and without boundaries. You can be halfway across the globe and still be able to talk to your team member in real-time!
Slack’s features are straightforward, but beneficial all the same. Instant messaging gives everyone a chance to speak and get updates. File sharing allows the distribution of crucial information quickly. Furthermore, Slack may also be integrated with other apps to significantly enhance your team's efficiency and cooperation. If you want to manage everything in your own app, consider using chat api tools such as Sendbird, Cometchat or alternative to Sendbird Sceyt.
8. Phone Lockers like the SchoolTech 40
When seeking to maximize productivity in the workplace, it’s sometimes necessary to get creative. This is where tools like phone lockers from TechXpress come in. Mobile phones can be a major digital distraction in the workplace.
Encouraging your staff to leave their phones in a phone locker will enable them to maximize their productivity. This will benefit your business, your customers or clients and your staff members themselves. It’s the unique productivity tool to unlock your business’ potential.