Setting up a side hustle business is increasingly common – with more than 15% of Americans working side hustles alongside other forms of employment. Many want to be their own boss, while others want to branch out into a new industry that might not suit their current skillset. Indeed, side hustles take up to 15-hours a week extra from those usually in full-time or part-time employment and are considered a huge growth factor for the economy. One of the main reasons for the rise in side hustles is that many of the standard business tasks can be done easily on smartphones with apps. So, what mobile apps should you download to boost your business?
Financial Apps
Keeping track of finances is imperative – and often a sponge on a businessperson’s time. Luckily, there are many apps that make raising invoices, tracking invoices, and monitoring and updating cash flow easier. Apps such as QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, and GoDaddy can help keep track of finances and ensure your business is in the green. Some are beneficial if a lot of invoices are raised and being paid – as they help track them. Business expenses can also be easily tracked, especially for when a tax return needs filing for revenue and expenditure.
One of these necessary business expenses that should be monitored as part of the standard running of a business is your insurance. As the outline of comprehensive coverage shows, paying a small amount up front can help prevent you needing to pay a larger amount should anything happen. Insurance can help with issues, such as accidents, which could paralyze a small business when faced with a large payment.
An app that helps with tracking inventory, Goods Order Inventory, could also be beneficial to keep up with the financial side of physical products you might be selling. Payroll apps such as Gusto and BrightPay help keep track of paying your employees.
Organizational Apps
Organizing your business – both day-to-day and for the longer term can also be done with apps. Apps such as LivePlan can actually even help you create a business plan to make sure everything is on track. Time management apps such as Moment, Toggl, Workflow and Shift can help you schedule your day, maximize the use of your free time, and crucially discover what might be eating into any time you have to help you streamline processes. Moreover, apps like Monday, Asana, and Trello can help the entire organization monitor time and track projects.
Communicating all in one place has never been easier with Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet providing handy communication platforms. Communicating with customers is also simple with apps like Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite and even Facebook itself allowing you to plan a social media strategy and schedule posts.
For those in small businesses with a staff, HR apps such as Bamboo HR and Zoho People (free for up to five employees) help give an air of professionalism while helping you track employee records, communication, training, and recruitment processes. RingCentral Office gives a phone service that allows your employees to make and take calls without using personal numbers.
Running a business can be stressful and can result in you having to turn your attention to many different issues at the same time. It’s important, therefore, to have apps that can help you organize your time and keep track of your finances. This not only helps you know what you need to be doing, but also helps with evaluating where your time goes and how it can be spent better.
