Essential Digital Tools for Entrepreneurs to Launch and Grow Their Business
Digital tools for entrepreneurs make that transition from an employee to a startup owner much easier.
How many times have you heard stories about people making it over night? Too many, I suppose.
Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, perfectly elucidated what that really meant.
“Timing, perseverance, and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success”, he said.
Launching and growing a business is certainly not a walk in the park. Being prepared for hard work is what makes the difference between successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs.
Digital Tools for Entrepreneurs: Covering All Bases
Fortunately, there are tools that can streamline your operations, making things much easier, and helping you overcome startup challenges.
Living in a digital world and not leveraging digital tools for entrepreneurs is kind of like not learning to walk when you can crawl. Ineffective and unproductive. And it can’t get you very far.
So, let’s see how you can use various tools to streamline different aspects of your business. To launch it and grow it. To make it. Albeit, not over night.
Domain Registration, Hosting and Security
It all starts with a great domain name. Make it simple, effective and unique. Then, use the power of the .ME extension to reinforce your identity, and show that your platform is user-focused.
Be creative about it and turn your URL into a call-to-action. An actionable verb in combination with this extension will drive user engagement, while also making your domain memorable.
Leverage .ME as a tool to stand out in the crowded digital marketplace, and build trust and recognition.
Next, use one of the popular domain registration platforms and their diverse features to establish your online presence. Check out GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator, and Domain.com, their privacy options, pricing structures and bundle offers. Finally, choose a hosting platform that aligns with your requirements, register your domain, and establish your online presence.
Website Building
Clearly, building a website for your small business is essential. And, a great domain calls for a great site. Of course, it has to reflect your brand, your identity, and your values.
Depending on your skills, there are different website building platforms to choose among. The customizability and the intuitive interface of Wix make it perfect for beginners. Squarespace is also quite easy to use. Plus, its sleek and elegant templates allow you to show off your creative side.
Of course, WordPress cannot be ignored. Often the first choice among entrepreneurs, especially for those with technical expertise, it is well-suited for content-heavy sites.
Here’s the best part. These platforms allow you to build a professional website that’s responsive and SEO-friendly, all without coding.
Digital Tools for Entrepreneurs: Managing Your Projects
Digital tools for entrepreneurs go beyond website registration and creation.
As your startup grows, managing various projects becomes more challenging. So, to keep your team on the same page and boost productivity, you have to rely on project management tools.
Smaller teams looking for flexible solutions can take advantage of Trello, featuring an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Asana, on the other hand, is used by teams of all size, and it is suitable for complex projects. Additionally, you can check out Monday.com, Basecamp, Teamwork and other project management tools to determine what aligns with your needs.
Leveraging CRM Systems
Maintaining client relationships is crucial for growing your startup. And, Customer Relationships Management (CRM) tools help you gain better insight into your customers, and thus deliver personalized solutions.
As one of the most popular CRM solutions, Salesforce offers quite a comprehensive set of features. From automating workflows to managing leads and forecasting sales, you can do it all.
HubSpot is another widespread solution, known for its ease of use and suitable for small businesses.
Naturally, there are other platforms to consider as well. But, whatever you choose, make sure it’s something you can seamlessly integrate with any current tools you may be using.
E-Commerce Platforms
If you’re aiming at selling your products online, then an e-commerce platform is a necessity.
Facilitating order management, payment processing and other operations, these platforms offer everything you need to run an online store. So, leverage Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce or another platform to start selling online quickly and efficiently.
Choose a highly customizable tool that can be integrated with your current systems, and that allows for scaling a business. After all, you are planning on growing it.
E-Mail Marketing
With high ROI and engagement rates, e-mail marketing remains one of the most powerful business growing marketing strategies.
Mailchimp, for example, offers great automation features. And, the best part? This tool has a free plan suitable for startups. Then, there’s Omnisend, offering a free plan as well, with a focus on both e-mail and SMS marketing. EmailOctopus can also be great for startups and entrepreneurs, offering quite affordable plans.
With tools like these, you will not only create professional e-mails, but also analyze your engagement data. And, refining your marketing strategies starts with analyzing.
Social Media Management
Essential for brand awareness, crucial for lead generation, and perfect for customer engagement, social media presence is a startup must.
With tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, HubSpot, Buffer and similar, you can easily schedule your posts. Furthermore, tracking engagement becomes effortless as well. And, most importantly, these tools allow you to manage multiple accounts all at one place.
Financial Management
With financial management tools, you can keep track of expenses, invoices, payroll, as well as taxes. They are crucial for the financial health of your startup.
So, add Xero, FreshBooks, QuickBooks or another tool to your arsenal, simplify the accounting process, and focus on business growth.
Cloud Storage
Storing, sharing and accessing your files simply and securely is the key towards successful collaboration among your teams. Especially important for remote teams, cloud storage solutions facilitate data sharing, and reduce the risk of data loss.
Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive are the most popular cloud storage tools out there. But, startups can also benefit from Blackblaze, iDrive Team, and similar solutions offering comprehensive and affordable plans.
Digital Tools for Analytics
Without analyzing data, you risk making wrong business decisions.
Tools like Google Analytics, SEM Rush, Sprout Social, Hotjar and others won’t let that happen. Leverage them to get insight into website performance, customer behavior, as well as marketing effectiveness. Then, make informed decisions and track your growth metrics over time.
Making Use of Digital Tools for Business Growth
Digital tools equip entrepreneurs with all the resources they need for launching, running, and growing their businesses.
Leverage them to build your website, manage your projects, sell your products online, manage your finances, as well as create amazing digital marketing campaigns.
Sure, growing a business is not a walk in the park. But, with the right tools, you can stop crawling and learn how to walk. You can make it!
