Most entrepreneurs are familiar with mainstream online tools like Dropbox for saving and sharing files and Zoom for holding online meetings with clients and co-workers. However, the internet is filled with countless other nifty tools that business owners can utilize to streamline certain specific functions.
Today, we’re going to share with you 10 little-known online tools that entrepreneurs should consider giving a try.
Admittedly, Skype is not a little-known online tool by any stretch of the imagination, but it has become buried under the popularity of other video conferencing apps like Meet and Zoom. However, Skype is actually more cost-efficient for small groups and offers more features. For just $2.99 a month, you can enjoy unlimited video conferencing with up to 100 users, make cell phone and landline calls, as well as send instant messages to any person in your community.
Trello is an excellent productivity and collaboration management tool for groups of all sizes. By adding members into a Trello Board, you can organize “cards” to assign tasks, color-code them to define groups, and keep track of in-progress and completed projects. Trello uses a simple interface with draggable cards and modifiable columns. Trello is free to use, but its Business Class plan ($12.50 per month) offers a wider range of customizable features and documentation analytics.
Freshworks CRM is an all-in-one tool that streamlines customer care management and documentation. This online service boosts team efficiency by automating time-consuming tasks, such as scheduling sales touchpoints, send notifications to team members, and assign rules to sales teams in specific areas. The Freddy AI system functions as a chatbot that collects customer details and eliminates redundancies. Freshworks CRM’s pricing starts at $29.99 for the most basic functions.
Gumroad is a free-to-install shopping-cart tool that works with any site. It’s a piece of software built for selling digital products online that automates the checkout process and delivery of goods to customers. While you don’t need to pay to install the app on your website, Gumroad takes 5% of every transaction that goes through its system.
Fiverr is a platform for clients and freelancers to find each other. Fiverr freelancers (sellers) post their skills, what they can do for you, and how long it will take them. Services on Fiverr include graphic design, interior design, content writing, online marketing, and music composition. The sellers on Fiverr come from around the world that offer competitive prices for their exemplary services. You’ll have to pay an additional $2 charge for up to $40 you spend on a seller’s services. Over $40, you’ll incur a 5% charge.
LinkedIn is the leading social media platform for professionals. People from all backgrounds congregate on this platform to share ideas and seek clients or freelancers. Creating an account on LinkedIn is free, but premium accounts start at $24.95 per month. A premium LinkedIn account gives you access to a higher number of profiles per search and better fine-tuneability when searching for potential connections.
If you travel for business, you should consider installing AroundMe on your smartphone. This app identifies nearby restaurants, parks, ATMs, hotels, and other places of interest. Enjoy your downtime by searching for hotspots on AroundMe and expanding your network in new cities.
PDFChef is a free online PDF converter that transforms multiple file-formats into PDFs. Converting Word, Excel, EPUB, and image files like JPGs and PNGs into PDF files is crucial for businesses. PDF format ensures better security via encryption to keep sensitive information—contracts, images, 2D designs—inaccessible by unauthorized users. PDFChef offers more than just PDF tools like split and merge. This platform lets you rotate, rearrange, delete pages, and split PDF files almost instantly.
Many affiliate marketers are missing a helpful trick that both directs visitors to an affiliate link as well as promotes your brand. Rebrandly lets you shorten and customize links using a personal domain. There are also customized analytics that shows you how many clicks a personalized link has gotten. The free plan lets you create an infinite number of fast redirects, choose up to five domain names, and create 500 links with your company’s brand. There are several pricing options that offer a set number of perks based on your subscription plan.
This online survey-creating app is a lot more user-friendly as opposed to Google Forms. It lets you define question types, customizes survey interfaces to promote your brand, set up multilingual surveys, and provides excellent analytic reports. You can even export the collected data to PDF, Excel, or CSV files for researching and sharing.
There are more online tools for entrepreneurs that could surely be added but this gives you a great start on ones to explore!
