If
you crack open the dictionary and turn to the entry for “busy,” you’ll find
that a synonym is “entrepreneur.”
Maybe
that’s not true. But it should be. By definition, an entrepreneur is “one who
organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” Sounds
pretty demanding to me.
As
someone who’s
responsible for the success of an entire business,
increasing productivity throughout the workday is essential for an
entrepreneur. Thankfully, technology has worked its magic and helped businesses
boost their productivity. However, with so many tools available, how can an
entrepreneur decide which ones to use?
Well,
fear not. I did some digging and discovered 21 tools and resources that will
help you be more productive, kick more butts, and take more names on a daily
basis.
Meetings Made Easier
According
to the ‘2013 Wasting Time at Work Survey’, employees cited “too many meetings” as the biggest waste
of time in the workplace. Here are three great tools to help entrepreneurs have
more productive meetings:
1. Speek- is a conference call platform that enables you
to do away with the 15-digit, almost-always-misdialed call-in numbers. Although
there’s a free option, Speek’s team version is ideal for entrepreneurs. Each
time I have a conference call, I can send a personalized link that has
Influence & Co. branding. It’s painless for the end user, and Speek then
gathers data from the call, including who was present and how long each
individual spoke.
2. Skype-
is an essential tool for the internal communication of our team. Instead of cluttering
our inboxes, we use Skype to have simple conversations, ask quick questions, or
send files. It’s also useful in communicating with remote employees.
3. Perch-
is an always-on video communication platform that offers features such as face
detection, intelligent connection between users, and snapshot usage. This app
takes the hassle out of scheduling meetings with clients and co-workers. It’s a
great tool for entrepreneurs and businesses to optimize communication with
individuals working remotely or in other offices.
Simplified Social Media
Meetings
aren’t the only challenges for entrepreneurs. Being engaging and relevant on
social media can be a full-time job. Streamline your social media presence
with these resources:
4. Buffer-
allows simple, scheduled sharing across all social platforms. By scheduling
personal or company tweets, I can ensure that I’m posting at key times
throughout the day to reach the most people possible. I also enjoy Buffer’s
Chrome plugin, which makes sharing content that I'm interested in as simple as
the click of a button.
5. TweetDeck- is a fantastic tool to use for following
your influencers and organizing your Twitter lists. You can add columns based
on hashtags, keywords, custom lists, and much more. If you’re looking to follow
a webinar or conference, just type in the designated hashtag and watch the
conversation live. Our content strategist swears by TweetDeck.
6. HootSuite- is similar to TweetDeck, but it’s a
“one-stop shop” that lets you monitor and update all your social media
platforms and retrieve analytics on your social media engagement.
More Manageable Email
When
I open my email to see hundreds of unopened messages, sometimes I want to cry
(on the inside). To avoid those tears of defeat, I discovered a few email
management tools that help me stay sane:
7. Inbox Pause-
allows you to pause all incoming messages and choose times throughout the day
to update your inbox. This allows me to focus on the mail I already have in my
inbox and periodically lets new emails come in, rather than a constant flow of
new messages.
8. SaneBox- allows you to automatically filter spam
and unimportant messages so you see the ones you actually need to address or
respond to.
Relationship Builders
All
the previous tools are geared toward creating more streamlined processes. But
in any business setting, building positive and mutually beneficial
relationships is vital to becoming influential in an industry. Whether you’re
building relationships with your employees, other businesses, or customers,
these tools will help:
9. Contactually-
provides true relationship management in a user-friendly platform. It is easy
to use, syncs with Gmail, and can significantly increase referrals. I’ve found
that the data gathered in Contactually is extremely valuable when managing
sales teams.
10. BuzzStream- is a great tool for marketing teams,
especially when rolling out campaigns. It helps organize and keep track of each
team member’s contacts, saves each email thread, and allows you to formulate
pitch templates to boost consistency.
11. 15Five- is perhaps the team favorite at
Influence & Co. This software allows us to give feedback to leaders in the
company and vice versa. We utilize it to identify any problems, inefficiencies,
big wins we need to recognize, and the overall temperature of employee satisfaction.
Task Managers
Entrepreneurs’
to-do lists never shrink, but these tools will make your to-do list a little
more doable:
12. Momentum Dashboard-
is a Google Chrome app to help you manage your tasks. I like it because it asks
you to focus on one major task for the day and offers a smaller to-do list for
the rest of your agenda. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get sidetracked from
what originally started as your main focus or need. Did I also mention how
amazing the photography is? The background photo changes throughout the day,
one breaktaking, exotic photo after the next (which explains why our entire
team uses this app).
13. Zapier- allows teams to easily automate tasks
among web apps. For example, a person could receive a text every time an email
comes in for a new lead that needs to be created in his CRM. Automation is
every entrepreneur’s best friend, and Zapier allows for hundreds of useful
integrations and automations.
Influencing the Internet
Positioning
yourself as an influencer and expert in your field is an important way to build
a stronger business. Here are resources to help all entrepreneurs be more
influential online:
14. BrandYourself- allows
professionals to control which results show up in search engines when someone
searches his name or company and helps build his personal brand online.
15. Weebly- is a free website builder. Choose from
free templates and layouts to showcase your brand in the best way possible.
Entrepreneurs who have a company website but haven’t begun working on their
individual brand should look into creating a personal blog.
16. Quora- is the queen of shareable, engaging
content and a place to receive and share your answers to questions about your
industry. It’s a great resource for entrepreneurs looking to showcase
their expertise and build influence.
17. HARO- (Help A Reporter Out)is a place where
experts and journalists can help one another. The journalist gets the source,
while the expert gains exposure in publications that are relevant to his
industry. Journalists can sign up for free and post queries when they need
quotes or interviews on a certain topic. Experts can sign up for a fee and
respond to queries. The reporter then identifies the most suitable
candidate.
18. ProfNet- is
similar to HARO in that journalists are matched with sources and qualified
experts. ProfNet’s volume of queries, however, overruns HARO’s. ProfNet is
fee-based, but it’s great for entrepreneurs looking to gain exposure.
Entrepreneurial Lifestyle
When
you’re always on the go, it’s nice to have resources to make the ride a little
smoother. Check out these general entrepreneurial lifestyle tools:
19. Bodeefit- gives
you daily workouts, plus health and fitness tips that are bite-sized and can be
done anywhere. It alleviates the burden of finding a time or place to work out
on the road.
20. Dash- is the easiest way to pay at bars and
restaurants. Instead of waiting for your check, close the tab right on your
phone. Entrepreneurs can use this app when they’re traveling and want to
network with clients outside an office or event. You can impress your clients
by snagging the bill before it even arrives and avoid the awkward glances
around the table asking who should take the check.
21. Square- gives everyone the chance to run a business from any location. There are already more than
100,000 retailers using it. The Square device hooks up to a mobile phone, lets
you swipe customers’ credit cards immediately, and effectively processes the
payment without any hassles. Being able to sell their product from anywhere can
give entrepreneurs a leg up in their industry.
Now that you’ve freed up your time with
these life-simplifying resources, get a massage or take a nap. You deserve it
after being so productive today.
by... Ryan O'Connell
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