How to work smarter and cheaper with these 5 tips  

Whether you are in Real Estate or High Tech, starting a business takes planning and hard work. These days, it also requires choosing the right tech tools and services — ones that are affordable and easy for the average computer user to learn. Ideally, they should also grow with you as they help your business succeed!

Through our own experiences and our experiences helping other businesses grow, here are some of the apps we recommend when first starting out being your own boss.

1.Graphic Design & Social Media Scheduling

Canva is a graphic design tool, all usable from within your favorite web browser. It can help you create all kinds of designs and content, from e-books to logos to social media posts. It can even help you schedule your social media posts, saving you time and energy.

The sheer volume of premade templates and stock artwork and photography are mind boggling! We wonder if there’s anything Canva can’t design — try searching for video, slideshows, and anything else you can think of. Canva offers a free version, and the paid version will cost you less than $20/mo.

2.Email for Large Groups

Mailchimp is an excellent tool for email marketing or just sending emails to large groups on the regular. (In fact, it’s how we sent you this email!)

It is easy to learn and tailor to the branding of your business. Not only that, Mailchimp will help you get better at writing and sending your emails as it makes customized recommendations for you. That’s a little like having a whole marketing team in your email inbox! Brilliant.

Click the badge below to check out Mailchimp, and if you sign up, your purchase will support Digital Helpmates!

3.Time Tracking & Scheduling

Let’s talk about time! Gone are the days when you needed an assistant to manage your appointments — Calendly makes it possible for any client to book on your calendar in a way that works for you. We’ve used it for years, and it makes the process of booking with a Tech Tutor a breeze for clients, and for us!

Clockify will keep track of your time (and your employees), and can even invoice clients based on time worked. There’s a generous free version which is why we are recommending it to those on a super tight budget.

However, the time tracking app we’ve used exclusively since 2016 is Harvest. Both apps are excellent for making sure you are billing clients for the hours they use, and tracking what you spend your time on.

4.Word Processing, Spreadsheets, and Presentations

Are you still paying Microsoft for Office? Why pay, when Google offers a variety of free apps, from Docs, to Sheets, to Slides, for FREE?

You heard right, you can access all the same productivity software you know and love (with minor changes to the user interface) without paying for or even downloading any software. Check out Google Docs (compare to Word), Sheets (compare to Excel), and Slides (compare to Powerpoint)

And if you’re on a Mac, you don’t need either Google or Microsoft to get free Productivity software! You have them for free in the App Store, thanks to Apple. Look for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.

5.Website Builders

Lastly, if you haven’t set up your website yet, Wix and GoDaddy’s Website Builder are two great places to build a quick website from pre-built templates for free, or for a great all-in-one price (no extra plug-in subscriptions, thank you!).

Template website builders like these may not have all the bells and whistles or customization features of other builders (like WordPress), but the time, effort, and money it saves is worth it for many fledgling businesses. And you can make a pretty darn beautiful website with little to no tech skills, too!

Have your own favorite apps for your startup? Reply to this email and share them with us!

P.S. Last year, we did a short presentation on what Canva and Mailchimp can do for you. Click the link above to check it out.

P.P.S. If you want to learn more about the apps mentioned above in depth, check out our video all about Canva, Mailchimp, and more!