Nowadays, entrepreneurs are more and more tech-savvy. Using applications on the web and on mobile phone is becoming increasingly popular, especially when these applications are built to solve the kinds of problems that entrepreneurs face daily. The entrepreneurs I know personally are all experts in their specialized fields, but they also need to have awareness of many other fields in order to get ahead. It would be difficult for a person to start a company successfully without knowing enough about accounting to keep the books running smoothly, and it would also be difficult for an entrepreneur to find success without having some kind of skill in sales or marketing.
Help solve the entrepreneur’s dilemma
How can a small team be on top of everything all the time when they’re so intent on focusing on their core mission? These apps can help. This new year season, consider gifting the entrepreneur in your life with some great apps to help their business flourish.
1. Evernote Premium
While Evernote is a great service that can be used for free, there are various reasons the entrepreneur might need the premium version. In my experiences as an entrepreneur, here are the features I found I most needed:
Viewing previous versions of each note Sharing and collaborating on notes with colleagues
2. Basecamp
Keeping track of multiple projects and due dates is mind-boggling, but with a paid service like Basecamp, collaborating on projects is easier than ever. What I like about Basecamp (and I’m sure thousands of teams around the world would agree with) is that the user experience is a simplified as it needs to be. Nothing is over-complicated or full of unnecessary features—it’s just what a team needs to get things done.
3. Things 2
Pro tip: If your entrepreneur friend needs a mobile to-do list, you might want to look into Things by Cultured Code.
Accounting Software
Maybe I have a soft spot for accounting software just because I’m so bad at accounting, but I know that this is a sore spot for many entrepreneurs out there. Here are a few services I recommend:
4. Harvest
With a simple, intuitive interface, getting you and your team on board is fast and easy on Harvest.
5. Outright
Outright helps small businesses and those who are self employed with online bookkeeping through their exceptional accounting software
6. Mint
Manage your budget with easy to use personal finance tools and calculators on Mint. Track spending and monitor your online banking account. Free to get started.
7. Lemon Wallet
Lemon Wallet, it’s a mobile app that allows you to store a digital copy of all of your cards in your wallet so you can access them whenever you need.
Mindmaps
From a creative and organizational perspective, mindmapping can really help put ideas in order. Some mindmaps are free with limited features, but splurging on a great piece of mindmapping software might help. Here are a few options:
8. Mindmeister
Create, share and collaboratively work on mind maps with MindMeister, the leading online mind mapping software. Includes apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
9. Mindnode
MindNode‘s focus and flexibility makes it the perfect brainstorming tool. The clutter-free interface lets you concentrate on generating and connecting your ideas.
10. XMind
Xmind is intended to assist users in capturing ideas, organizing various charts, and share them with collaboration.
11. QuestionUp
Creativity apps are awesome: the human mind is programmed to work through problems in similar ways over time, sticking to comfortable patterns of thought. Sometimes, an insightful question is all we need to get our brains going in a different direction. With QuestionUp, entrepreneurs can browse through a list of questions and brainstorm the answers. The idea behind the app is to get people thinking through difficult questions, and hopefully help them solve sticky problems! (Disclosure: I designed and developed this iOS app.)
12. Reeder
I use Reeder to keep up with my favorite blogs and magazines: it syncs up with Google Reader, so I can view my favorite content in a more zen-like interface. What I love about Reeder is that it has both a desktop and mobile app, so I can view articles on the go, too.
13. IFTTT
Pro tip: Set IFTTT to send your starred Google Reader items to Twitter. That way, you’re sharing your favorite content with your followers, positioning yourself as knowledgeable in the industry with just one click of the mouse.
14. DayOne
Reflecting on the ups and downs of entrepreneurship is key to growth. With DayOne, entrepreneurs can record what’s going on each day and make plans to iterate on noticeable slumps or achievements. Protip: Set a password for DayOne to keep your thoughts and insights extra private. As an entrepreneur, what other apps would you like to receive as gifts this year? Featured photo credit: Young Businessman with Computer next to Swimming Pool via Shutterstock
