Whether you are a solopreneur or own a small business with multiple employees finding easy and affordable quality solutions is a constant challenge. For most small business owners the day to day can be a hodgepodge of responsibility as you are forced to play marketing expert, accountant, and customer service all while selling a product you can be proud of and the public needs. These apps can help streamline your workflow and your bottom line and let you get back to the business of running your business.
GetResponse
There is nothing more time consuming and convoluted for a small business than marketing itself online. Email marketing, social media marketing, websites, landing pages, A/B testing... It's a never ending rabbit hole. GetResponse is a one stop shop for online marketing with features ranging from email templates and list building to app integration and analytics that starts at just $15 per month. Add a no fuss affiliate program with a solid 33 percent commission an GetResponse can easily make you more money than it costs.
Imonomy
A nifty little tool Imonomy kills two birds with one stone finding free stock images for your website's blog. Imonomy uses an algorithm that finds images that matches the context of your blog posts. What's better, the images are monetized through discreet ads that won't have your site looking like a horrible money grab. It's a convenience that pays you. Sign up is free and there are no monthly charges. Just commission splits.
Vend
For brick and mortars low overhead and ease of use I what separates winning businesses from failing ones. A solid POS system is one of the biggest assets for any shop. It is the end of a satisfying customer experience and the beginning of a host of work for a small business. Between credit card processing, sales and inventory tracking, and loyalty programs keeping things straight can be an immediate headache. Vend has done well to tie in all these jobs into a neat little bow. Integrated systems can tie in multiple stores with features like barcode importing, PayPal multiple payment processing integration including Paypal and the ability to place stock orders it is a great streamlining option. The entire suite of services is cloud based allowing mobile management and oversight. The best part is that their basic package is free and Vend offers a free trial of their premium system. Vend also offers a nice affiliate program for some added passive income.
Intuit Payroll
While Intuit is not a new name to small businesses its payroll system might be. Intuit's payroll services provide quality options for small businesses including unlimited monthly payments, direct deposit W-2s and electronic tax payments at a price that is easy to work with ($20 per month plus $2 per employee). All of this allows what may be the most crucial of your responsibilities (at least to your employees) a much more manageable one.
image credit Don O'Brien