What are the best software packages for startup small business?
I am in the early stages of setting up a virtual marketing and administration business and am interested to hear from other small businesses, what software programs have made their lives easier from a time management, accounting, customer service perspective.
Any tips and hints would be appreciated.
Cheers and thanks, Heidi
There are a number of software programs available for small business, and as a virtual business, I would suggest looking at online systems.
My suggestions would be
CRM - Number of options Zoho CRM and Capsule
Accounts - Xero & Freshbooks
Email Marketing - MailChimp & Campaign Monitor
File Sharing - Google Docs & Dropbox
Also look at which apps integrate with each other. Most will offer a trial period so that you can test out for yourself, and see what best suits.
I use Capsule CRM, Xero, Hootsuite (Social Media), Google, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, Asana (Project Management), Evernote (Remember everything - notes & notebooks) and Skype. Everything is virtual! I can run my business online from anywhere!
To ensure we have clarity of thought around our business we have found a one page business planning tool very useful, which uses a sticky notes approach to building a business plan. It provides a robust structure for capturing your business plan on a single page, and because of its single page approach it brings discipline to the process where focusing on the key features of your plan is imperative for success.  In summary its a great tool which enables you to map, test, and iterate your business ideas in an easy to use App. More details can be found here: http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/toolbox
I have also been a big fan of the Business Model Canvas system for setting up a business plan and testings its value. Strategyzer is a great tool, but may be a bit pricey for someone just starting out. To start out, maybe you would be better off doing a YouTube search for "Business Model Canvas" to get the basic idea, then set up a board in Trello to emulate the BMC. Then down the track when you have got a bit more spare cash, you can switch over to something like Strategyzer for the long term.
i suggest to visit google enterpise marketplace, you can find loads of free apps for project management, time management, customer management and so on. Most of these options are free, so easy to start with startups.Â
For Australian based startups I would suggest Eazybooks.com.au. It is very friendly invoicing solution. Works well too. It has Australian support and low cost as well.
Terry Chadban, Founder/Manager at Port Macquarie Online Marketing
A couple more I would throw in the ring for a CRM would be Mautic and Bitrix24. Bitrix24 in particular is amazing in the number of features that it contains in the free version, while Mautic is much simpler with fewer features, but may be all that you need to start with. And both are cloud-based/online systems.