22 free or low $ Apps for Startup Founders
“Custom business applications [Apps] work the way you work, to manage projects, ideas & your Business – with minimal effort – to enable you to manage better.” Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz
Apps for Business Topics: Time & Project Management, Capturing your Ideas, Communications, Relationship Management, . Short-cuts, Measurement, Out-Sourcing, Budgeting & Accounting.
Apps aren’t mainly for Social Media anymore. Startups & small business owners rely on Biz- Apps to help them stay organized, productive & connected. Being an Entrepreneur is usually a 
rewarding experience (hopefully financially too). You have lots of tasks on your To-Do list + have to solve significant problems almost every day. Often you need to do extensive research, gather & manage your resources, maintain a communication level, build your brand presence, reach new clients, keep a track of all the accounts & more & more. Startups are known for moving quickly–it’s what we love about them. But moving too fast without knowing whether everyone is working on the right things can stall your momentum, or even kill it. With so much on your plate, is 24 hours a day enough? If not, then take a look at the following list of Apps that can help you manage your time and boost your productivity.
A. Time + Project Management
#1. Wunderlist is better than a To-Do List
From details related to your current Project to your upcoming Vacation plan, Wunderlist lets you make a list of all the things. This “virtual” To-Do list App can be accessible from a phone, laptop, tablet, etc. You can view your list of tasks from anywhere – at anytime. You can also set Reminders corresponding to the tasks’ deadline and add images (as reminders or other media content) to your list. The over-whelming advantage of this Productivity App for entrepreneurs is that they can easily share their lists with others and strike a conversation without switching to some messaging platform.
#2. Todo (not Toto from the Wizard of Oz)
There’s nothing as effective and rewarding as setting out a To-Do List and accomplishing it. Todo features full task & list sharing with a team-based Approach – encouraging productivity from your whole organization. Task details include start, end, due dates, location, time, + space for notes. Color-coding makes tasks easy to find. You can even assign tasks to the team or make them recurring to make sure you’re maximizing your time now + well into the future. Todo works with Siri on iOS, so you can just dictate tasks as you think of them. For early adopters, Todo also has a killer Watch App.
#3. Trello . . .
is a free App (with optional paid tiers) that’s a must-download for Entrepreneurs, Founders, etc, who want to stay organized at the office & home. The simple Project Management App features allow you to create Work Flows, then invite other users to collaborate on projects. Users can also assign tasks to others, comment on ongoing projects, attach relevant files from Google Drive or Dropbox, + upload photos & videos. There’s also a handy checklist for to-dos, boards to organize multiple projects side by side, and the ability to work offline.
#4. Rescue Time (thru Time Management)
This Time Management App runs in the background of your computer and mobile devices to track activity on Websites & Apps. At the end of each day, users are sent a report with a snapshot of how their time was spent. Entrepreneurs will be able to better manage their days knowing what activities are taking the most time. Sounds perfect, right? The only downside to this miracle App is it is not yet available for iPhones.
B. Capturing your Ideas
#1. Evernote
Suppose you’re attending a party or watching a movie – when suddenly an innovative idea hits your mind. What will you do? How will you write it down? Keeping a Notebook is undoubtedly the most common habit of every entrepreneur. However, there come some situations like the above, when the individual has no personal diary with him. In such scenario, Evernote can be your best companion. This mobile App helps to manage your life with its many features like collecting ideas in different formats, attaching images & docs, scan & comment on materials like business cards & sketches, + share your brain-storming creative ideas with others.
C. Communications
#1. Slack . . .
is a free (with optional paid tiers) Chat App that’s ideal for teens (no, Teams). You can create channels for different topics or members, send direct messages, host video calls without leaving the App, search archived conversations, + drag & drop images, videos & PDFs. One major reason Slack is so popular with SMBs is because it can integrate with more than 1,500 different Apps, including Salesforce, Dropbox, Google Drive, Concur, Asana & Trello.
#2. Mobile Day . . .
eliminates the frustration that comes with having to access your Outlook calendar and type in a 10-digit number for a conference call while trying to rush out the door to catch a flight. Mobile Day syncs with your phone’s calendar and provides one-touch access to any conference call or online meeting you have scheduled. Running behind? This App also allows you to easily Text or Email all attendees when you’re a few minutes late.
D. Relationship Management
#1. LinkedIn
Building and nurturing relationships can be easy for everyone – with the help of LinkedIn. The App lets you search people based on their qualification, job, industry, location & more. You can connect and stay in touch with them for making better business deals and creating a brighter future. LinkedIn is also the right platform to share your ideas, showcase your work + build a personal brand – along with staying updated with important news related to your market.
#2. Buffer (your Social Media)
Maintaining your online reputation is necessary. But, have you ever felt that sharing your views on different social networking sites is taking the bigger share of your time? If so, then Buffer is here for your rescue. This Social Media management mobile App enables startup Founders to schedule their Social Media post according to the time when your Target Audience will be highly active.
#3. Humin (along for Networking)
As an Entrepreneur, you probably know networking is essential to growing a business. But are you really expected to remember everyone you meet? Not with the Humin App. This revolutionary App combines contacts from your mobile device and social media accounts with your calendar, email and voicemail to provide context to the contacts in your phone. After this information is brought together, you can use a Google-like search feature to sift through contacts. What was the name of the person who was an expert in . . . ?
E. Short-cuts
#1. LogMeInPro
Traveling entrepreneurs have a new best friend with the LogMeIn Pro App. This App gives you fast & easy access to your PC or Mac from your browser, desktop or mobile device. Using the App, entrepreneurs can access Files or Apps stored from anywhere.
#2. Unroll.me (to un-enroll)
Tired of sifting through Holiday Sales, 20% off coupons, or Social Media notification Emails – to get to the ones that really matter? With Unroll.me App, users can unsubscribe from aggravating Email lists with one click instead of having to open each individual Email and go on a scavenger hunt to find the microscopic “unsubscribe” text. Unroll.me goes one step further and combines the Email lists you decide to keep into one Daily Digest.
#3. Flipboard (for News)
How many times do you sit back holding a newspaper and scanning all the important news related to your market? The competition is so stiff these days that you can’t afford missing important news or the time and efforts required for it. This App curates all the latest and greatest stories related to your market to keep you informed to spend your time productively.
#4. Pocket (for more News)
How many times have you scrolled through a news-feet (whoops, feed) and reminded yourself to come back and read an article later? How many times have you actually remembered to do so? Chances are, even if you did, it would be difficult to relocate the article. With Pocket, busy Entrepreneurs can stay up-to-date with current events, industry news, + that funny video your best friend sent. Using this App, you can quickly bookmark: articles, work documents, videos, or photos with ease, then revisit them later at your convenience.
#5. CamScanner
This free App is super simple compared to the others on our list, but it’s an invaluable tool for Startups & SMB owners. CamScanner makes it easy to scan documents using the camera on your Android device. You can then save those documents as PDFs, then Email or download them directly from the App.
F. Measurement of Progress
#1. Google Analytics
How do you measure your business/project success? How do you determine if investing in development + other marketing practices – have added value to your business or not? You might be ready with numerous answers to these questions, but the best solution recommended by the top business owners is the Google Analytics “Productivity” App. You can monitor data in real-time, evaluate key performance metrics, compare data ranges, provided “stats” for reports, & more.
G. Out-Sourcing
#1. GrowthGeeks (GG)
They help you to do a ton of marketing, social, content, SEO – stuff that you probably would have previously had to hire a firm or hire for in-house. GG is a marketplace of Freelancers who are vetted & ranked by other users.
#2. DavinciVirtual (a Virtual Assistant)
These guys can make your life much better. They aren’t really an App, but I had to include them, because they have made an amazing impact on my Startup. I’ve used them at my previous startup, because they are available from 6-6 and have a team helping me reply to our Prospects requests. They also have a phone answering service, so you can have a Virtual receptionist. For startups, this is so inexpensive, to have real Americans answering your calls, then forwarding, setting Appointments, or screening your company calls.
H. Budgeting & Accounting
#1. QuickBooks Accounting
If you don’t know which to use QuickBooks is an affordable, user-friendly, most popular Accounting solution, we highly recommend trying it out. The company offers a free 30-day trial, and even users with the entry-level SaaS subscription ($10 per month) get full access to the mobile QuickBooks App. Through the App, you can access customer information, send invoices, save photos of receipts, manage late invoices, send Email estimates, track expenses, etc.
#2. Wave Invoicing
If managing Invoices is on the top of your list of hectic tasks, make it interesting with Wave App. This cloud SW & App help business leaders to create and send customized Invoices, record the income & expenses, send friendly reminders to others, scan receipts, get a notification on payment, and so on. You can even accept Credit Card payment with this App.
#3. Mint (condition ???) for Acctg & Budgeting . . .
brings Financial Management to entrepreneurs’ fingertips. This App compiles all financial accounts into one spot to provide a quick overview for business owners. Each transaction can be categorized so entrepreneurs can track expenses, revenue & monthly spending with a simple visual chart. The Bill Pay reminder feature is an added bonus for on-the-go (& sometimes forgetful) Entrepreneurs.
#4.. ExpenseBot:
You can’t afford to waste brainpower & energy, tracking paper receipts & mileage logs. Snap pics of receipts and it automatically enters the date, amount, & name + allowing you to note if you’ve reported the expense. Their distance & mileage tracking are top notch for travel. And their time tracking is great for monitoring Billing hours or keeping tabs on how your productivity flows.
#5. Gusto HR
Another outstanding Intuit App for SMBs, Gusto offers an all-in-one place to manage payroll, benefits & human resources. Unlike other payroll solutions, Gusto was built specifically for small businesses, and the bright visual interface is easy to use even if you have no experience with payroll software. The Core (entry-level) Gusto plan starts at $39 a month (plus $6 for each additional user), and the mobile App is included in that price.
Comments: Which Apps for Startups & SMB do you use? Did your favorite make the list? Can you tell us about it?
from Inc Zine, Biz Wk Daily, Boss Zine 4-19 integrated & enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz
For more Info, click on Apps for Business.