Streamlining Your Startup Journey: 10 Must-Have Tools

With each year, more and more people in the US are starting their own business, according to the annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report. Since the reporting began some 25 years ago, entrepreneurship around the nation has reached a record high: 19% of all adults are currently in the process of founding or running their own business!

If you belong to this group or will soon be joining it, we’ve got a few recommendations as to some digital tools you may like to add to your arsenal. Whether you’re starting your business in Hawkeye State, the Golden State or another place within (or outside!) the country, here are 10 tools you should make the acquaintance of.

Countless professionals across a range of industries already use — and love — Gmail, Drive, Meet, and many more of Google’s services. In fact, these online products are popular with those working on personal projects and school projects, too, meaning you (and any teammates) likely already know how to use them.

At the same time, you’ll be enjoying scalability, enhanced collaboration and productivity, and, of course, security.

Pros:

• Files can be accessed from anywhere
• All your go-to tools are in one place
• Very user-friendly

Cons:

• Less advanced than MS desktop apps
• Cloud hosting comes with risks
• Requires internet access

Pricing: From $6 per user / month

According to data by Microsoft, workers are spending up to two full days a week writing emails and attending meetings. Although you’ll likely want to spend more time getting things done when you’re running your own business, frequent meetings can be unavoidable — especially when you’re getting started.

Calendly can make life easier in this regard, allowing your clients and collaborators to view your availability in real time, and book a time slot with you that also suits them.

Pros:

• Integrates with multiple applications
• Clients and leads can book at their convenience
• Some customization possible

Cons:

• Customization options fairly limited
• Requires internet access
• Free plan is limited to one event type

Pricing: Free and paid plans available

WordPress is a free content management system that lets users build and host websites. Though originally intended for blog creation, it’s now widely used for building e-commerce sites, portfolio sites, online learning sites and more.

Thanks to features, themes and plugins, such as handy drag and drop builders, full control and customization are possible with minimal hassle.

Pros:

• Free to use
• 60,000 free and paid plugins available
• Gives complete control to the user

Cons:

• Can take some time to learn to use
• Requires a lot of customization
• Can be prone to website vulnerabilities

Pricing: Free

The quality of the customer support you offer can make all the difference in winning over any potentially displeased new customers as well as encouraging old ones to return.

Freshworks provides an all-in-one customer service suite that harnesses AI to help you offer unparalleled customer support. There is an option to subscribe for the full suite or choose individual services, such as the chatbot builder, with some plans available for free.

Pros:

• Individual plans available for free
• Generative AI can increase quality and productivity
• 14-day free trial available

Cons:

• Big pricing gaps between different plans
• Paid individual plans are not as good value for money
• Customer service (perhaps ironically) could be better

Pricing: Free and paid plans available

As an entrepreneur, you’re most probably going to need a website, unless an online presence on social media suffices for the type of service you provide!

GoDaddy is one of the most widely trusted domain registrars, with millions of users around the world. Besides letting you register or transfer your domain, the platform also features a website builder so you can set up your site there and then.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Features a website builder
• Great customer support

Cons:

• Pricing could be presented more clearly
• Slow servers
• Subscription renewals are pricey

Pricing: From $10.99 / month

Search engine optimization of your online content is crucial when it comes to increasing exposure for your brand. Optimizing your content can also save you money, as it can increase organic traffic, reducing the need for paid advertising.

SE Ranking’s platform can help with keyword research, backlink checking and monitoring, local marketing, and more, so you can optimize and amplify your content, reaching bigger audiences.

Pros:

• All-in-one tool
• Easy to use
• Competitor analysis feature

Cons:

• Analytics capability could be better
• Social media auto post feature is limited
• Customer support could be improved

Pricing: From $44 / month

Canva is a platform that allows its users to quickly create stunning visuals, ranging from poster designs and business cards to social media images and beyond.

The cloud-based graphic design tool features thousands of editable templates for all needs and tastes, some of which are free and some of which require a purchase.

All in all, when it comes to swiftly producing content for your website or social pages, Canva is seen by many as second to none.

Pros:

• Very easy to use
• Hundreds of thousands of templates
• iOS and Android apps available

Cons:

• Requires internet access
• Limited export formats
• Free accounts have limited storage

Pricing: Free and paid plans available

Email marketing campaigns are a vital communication tool for small-business owners — and giant corporations alike. Email provides a way to reach new customers, nurture a relationship with your existing audience, and encourage repeat buys from your client base.

Mailchimp, a marketing automation and email marketing platform trusted by over 13 million people, allows you to establish and maintain effective communication with your audience thanks to its user friendliness and intuitive design.

Pros:

• Access to metrics and analytics
• Easy to use
• Marketing automations available

Cons:

• Free plan offers no A/B testing
• Customer support could be improved
• Template library is quite basic

Pricing: From $20 /month

As far as project management tools go, Asana is among the most popular ones, used by millions of working professionals in the world, including teams in corporate giants such as Amazon and Google.

Even the free plan allows collaboration between a total of 10 teammates as well as unlimited tasks, projects and messages, enabling small teams to up their organization and productivity at no cost.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Extensive range of features
• Free version allows up to 10 users

Cons:

• Can appear overwhelming to new users
• Tasks can only be assigned to one person
• No direct export of data to MS Excel

Pricing: Free and paid plans available

Without data, companies simply wouldn’t know what’s working and what isn’t, their efforts little more than a stab in the dark.

In the early stages of your startup especially, understanding your potential buyers’ pain points, habits and preferences can help you meet them at the right place, at the right time, and with the right message.

Utilizing surveys, therefore, such as the ones you can create on Typeform, is a great idea.

Pros:

• No coding knowledge required
• Forms are customizable
• Easy to use for survey takers

Cons:

• Customer support could be improved
• Basic plan only allows one user
• Customization is limited

Pricing: From $25 / month

Final thoughts

From analytics tools that help you make informed decisions to email marketing tools, website builders and survey makers, there is virtually no end to the wide range of platforms you can utilize to lift your business off the ground.

In order to find the ones you could benefit from the most, it’s important to understand what aspects of running your business your team struggles with, as well as what tasks you could save time completing by making use of AI and automation.

So, there we have it: some essential tools that can make life easier for new business owners and experienced entrepreneurs. Are there any more you would add to this list? Let us know in a comment below!