Starting A New Online Business? Here Are 5 Tools You Should Be Using
I’ve invited Hannah McCormick, owner of HM Virtual Assistance and Lyons Creative’s amazing admin to share her advice for new online businesses. As a business owner supporting coaches and creatives, and as an online service provider herself, Hannah has learned a lot about what tools make a business run smoother.
Faced with lock down and lay-offs, it’s no wonder that last year saw a boom in online businesses starting up! According to Oberlo, more than 440,000 new business applications were filed in March 2021 alone.
And why not start an online business? It’s relatively easy and inexpensive compared to building a brick and mortar business. A new onlinepreneur can choose from an endless assortment of tools and systems to support them - but, with options at every price point, it’s hard not to fall in love with every “shiny object.”
ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE
Let’s get our priorities straight, you need a way to bill your new clients. There’s a lot of new expenses to keep track of in the beginning stages of starting an online business and you’ll want a software that makes the process as streamlined as possible. Business News Daily recommends you look for features like timesaving automations, tax preparation, third-party integrations, as well as evaluating their customer service before making any decisions.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Whether you're managing a team or multiple clients, keeping on top of that ever expanding to-do list will require more than a pen and paper. (If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you’ll know that Lyons Creative loves Asana for this.) Many platforms give you the flexibility to move between lists, boards or calendar views so that anyone on your team can stay organized in a way that makes sense to them.
SCHEDULER
Once upon a time, it took a long sequence of emails to set up a meeting, confirm the availability of all attendees and to decide on a location. Now it takes sending a simple link and - faster than you can say “Zoom!” - you’ve booked a meeting. Having a scheduling app takes out so much wasted time and energy. My personal favorite is Calendly which has paid options to add in automated reminders, feedback requests and can even integrate with your payment manager if you charge for certain meetings.
CRM PROGRAM
Why get three separate programs when you could get 1 that does them all? Less is more when it comes to managing your projects, accounts and prospects. A CRM software can allow you to store and track leads, organize your ongoing projects, track time entries and create a centralized place to share documents and important information. Using platforms, such as Dubsado, you can automate most of the onboarding and offboarding process using workflows and lead capture forms.
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULER
Nothing causes more headaches than trying to remember when to post to social media. An effective social media plan is essential for bringing in organic leads so a social media scheduler is a must-have for any online business owner. You’ll want to look out for schedulers that post to your preferred social media platforms and offer added value such as insights, hashtag suggestions and content prompts. Sprout Social has done a lot of the leg work for you by ranking the best scheduling tools for boosting your marketing workflow.
