Having the ability to process your accounting, payroll, CRM, etc., on any computer (PC or Mac) is all within reach now for any business starting out. And since we’ve helped many businesses setup cloud-based processes, naturally we’ve done a lot of trial and error on what applications work. These are many out there, but we’ve narrowed it down to our top 5 favorites for most small businesses.
1. Google Mail (Gmail): Since email is the center of most business, we figured that it should be #1! Google mail, aka “Gmail”, has been the go-to mail app for a lot people. And rightfully so. It’s spam filters are superb, and you can customize it how you like to read/process emails. Google even offers a business class version called Google Apps. And while this version is not free, it offers no advertising and increased storage amounts. The learning curve is very short. Some of our favorite features:
- Gmail is FREE (Google Apps is $60 per user per year)
- Excellent spam filters
- Good mobile app
- Free access to Calendar
- Free access to Google Drive (cloud file storage)
- Free access to Docs, Sheets, and Slides (Google’s equivalent to Microsoft’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
2. Google Calendar: A sister app to Gmail (above), let’s you keep track of your schedule using a number of tools. Integration between Gmail and Calendar is tight, and has a host of solutions to run many types of businesses. Some of our favorite features:
- Meetings are easy to setup and invite attendees
- Visibility into who has accepted/not accepted meetings
- Can schedule recurring calendar events (i.e. once per month, week, every 2 weeks, etc.)
- Can create calendar events directly from an email in Gmail
- Can create and share different calendars for different purposes (i.e. calendar for each team member, company wide vacation calendar, personal calendars, etc.)
3. Xero Accounting Software: Designed to give the small business what they need within a few clicks, is our top choice. With solid functions like invoicing, bills, quotes, and real-time bank feeds, you can manage your business from your computer, iPad, or any iOS or Android device. One of the things we love about Xero is it’s add on ecosystem. Want to see if your client paid you, from your CRM? You can do it with their add on’s. You can build out really smooth business processes this way. We really like:
- Online invoicing
- Connect to payment services like PayPal and Stripe
- Customer/Vendor Management
- Bank transactions directly imported from bank
- ascetically pleasing and just looks good
- Reports exportable to PDF, Excel, and Google Sheets
- Easy to collaborate with your accountant or other people
4. Gusto (formerly ZenPayroll): Designed for just one person, or scales up to several employees, this payroll has direct integration to Xero and QuickBooks Online. With it’s great feature list, and straightforward pricing, it’s hard to beat. Here’s a few of it’s valuable features:
- Direct Deposit
- Employee self on-boarding
- Simple and easy to use interface
- Full service payroll – they process all the payments and file all the returns for you
- Can pay contractors along side employees
- Integration with Worker’s Comp Insurance and soon, Health Benefits
- Integration with Xero
5. Evernote: We’ve come to use Evernote every day here at the firm. Mainly because we can access it from any device we’re on. No matter where we are, we can get to our notes! Evernote is great for just jotting down a simple note, or connecting to other services like Uber Conference to keep track of phone calls, meetings, you name it. You can build out folder and tag structure, or just starting taking notes that are searchable. Some of the best features are:
- On any device (windows, mac, android, iOS)
- Can create any type of note (meeting, to-do list, etc.)
- Can set due dates for notes (great for to-do lists)
- Can add attachments like PDF’s
- Can email a note directly into Evernote
- Can share and chat about notes, directly from within Evernote
Believe me, we could go on and on about other apps and the great things they can do. But for any one looking to start, or run their existing business more efficiently, these apps are more than adequate to get you started. We love talking to folks to help them make their business run smoother and get you back to doing what you love. So feel free to leave us a comment, or give us a ring if you if we can help.