The Best Software for New Businesses
Starting a new business can be scary - been there, done that. After helping many entrepreneurs start their businesses - as well as starting my own - I’ve found some good tools along the way.
Finding the right software to help you manage your business can be a challenge, but luckily there are lots of great options available.
Depending on the size and type of your business, popular options include accounting software like Xero, customer relationship management (CRM) software like Salesforce and Zoho, and project management software like Asana and Monday.com.
Evaluating the features and costs of the different options can help you decide which one is best for your business. Best of luck!
Productivity and Collaboration
One software that’s tried and true is Google Workspace. Google Workspace provides a range of cloud-based tools, including Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Google Meet. It's great for collaboration and is particularly popular for its real-time editing and sharing features.
Another software for collaboration is Slack, a messaging platform designed for seamless team communication. It allows for organized discussions through channels and integration with various apps, making it easier to manage projects and workflows.
Accounting and Finance
Xero
Our chosen software, which is Xero, is a Signal Operations favourite, so much so that Erika, is a Xero Partner and Ambassador*. Xero is an excellent accounting tool known for its user-friendly interface. It offers features like bank reconciliation, financial reporting, and expense management, with opportunities to automate making for a more efficient and streamlined process for your bookkeeping. Between the ease of invoicing, and setting up payment services, as well as the interface for collaboration with your bookkeeper or accountant, it’s a solid accounting software option.
Hubdoc
Xero also owns Hubdoc which is a document management app. For all your receipt storage as well as the ability to immediately push that expense into Xero, it’s the best option for secure storage for your receipts of all kinds.
Marketing and Sales
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is an email marketing tool designed for creators. It helps you connect with your audience and grow your business using email marketing software that's easy to use, so you can spend less time in their tool and more time creating/working on your business.
Project Management
Asana
Asana is a comprehensive project management software that offers task assignment, tracking, and project timelines. It's great for teams looking to manage complex projects efficiently.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a project management software that allows you to create custom workflows and design your boards in a way that makes the most sense for you. Monday Work Management enables organizations, managers, and executives to reach shared goals faster and collaboratively at scale. From setting goals to navigating projects and everyday work, Monday work management can help you streamline it all.
Trello
Trello is a visual project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help teams collaborate on tasks and projects. It's user-friendly and highly customizable.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a more affordable option for small businesses, offering lead and contact management, email automation, and analytics.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a cloud-based (we love the cloud at Signal) CRM platform that allows businesses to manage their customer data, marketing campaigns, and sales data. While Salesforce is mainly used for its CRM capabilities, it also can be used for app creation, data integration and visualization, and training.
Website Development
Squarespace
Squarespace is an all-in-one content management system or CMS. With a single subscription, you can make a website, host your content, register your custom domain name, sell products, track your site's analytics, and much more.
This list may feel overwhelming and this doesn’t mean you should or need to try/have all of these in your business. What is important when considering adding integrations, automation, and technology all around to increase the efficiency of your business is that you choose smartly with your business in mind.
Right, sure, but what does that even mean?
It means that not every “great” piece of technology is going to match your wants and needs. I know lots of business owners who love Trello and hate Asana, and vice versa. You want to choose tech that is cost-effective in that you can afford it or it’s free (big fan of that!), AND in the sense that it does multiple tasks for your business. This also cuts down on tech clutter and the stress that can come with that.
At the end of the day, no one knows your business better than you, and software trials exist for a reason!
If you’re interested in adapting or switching software, feel free to check out our Affiliate and Resources page.