Being an entrepreneur is hard work, but doing it alone is even more challenging. A solopreneur sets up their own business alone, without a partner or the help of another person.
6 Key Tools for Solopreneurs to Build and Grow Their Business
Starting a business on your own is undoubtedly challenging, but luckily some tools and products can help. The top six tools for solopreneurs to build and grow their business include a virtual office, CRM systems, utilizing help from investors, automation of workflow, and more.
Purchase a virtual office space
Purchasing a virtual office space is one of the most effective ways to manage your entrepreneurial endeavor. It allows for an office space organization without an actual physical office.
Virtual office spaces enable you to manage your postal mail, voicemail, and email in one convenient app. Everything is done digitally, making it perfect for someone who manages multiple lines of business and travels often.
Furthermore, since you can access the app anywhere in the world, it allows you to have a presence in numerous cities and expand to other countries if desired.
Add a customer relationship management tool to your business
A customer relationship management tool (or CRM) is a way to integrate all of your customer data and information in one spot. You can use numerous different platforms for this, but choosing one that helps you better organize and keep track of clients and customers is a great way to streamline your business.
When customers feel they know you personally and understand their needs and wants, they are far more likely to continue to do business with you and refer you to other potential leads. A CRM will help you stay on top of all of your customers and remind you of essential things you need to remember when doing business with a particular client.
Utilize the help from investors
If your business starts to take off and you need the funding to help keep your head above water, utilize the help from investors. You can find investors with the help of online tools such as LinkedIn, AngelList, and Crunchbase, or you can find your investors on your own through social media platforms.
Having a group of investors invest their money into your start-up business will allow you the funds you need to grow and help you pay the bills while managing the complexity of being a successful solopreneur.
Find a way to incorporate automation of workflow
Automating workflow is a way to track where you are in the sales or business process with each particular client/customer. It also helps you stay on task by automatically reminding you when things need to be done or scheduled. You can take advantage of the automation of workflow software systems or create your way of doing it.
When you create automation of workflow systems and are vigilant in keeping them organized and on schedule, it will make your business so much easier to manage. There are too many things to remember and too many meetings to attend, so let the automation of the workflow system help you be more efficient and achieve more.
Online file sharing and storage
Keeping your virtual files safe is of utmost importance when running your own business. Purchasing additional storage may be necessary, but using the free tools that Google or Apple offers is a great way to share or store files without the added expense.
Google Docs is one of the most common virtual file-sharing tools. It allows for easy-to-access files and ensures your files are always safe. Share your files using links that are password protected, and access all of your essential documents in one convenient place.
Don’t be afraid to put everything and anything on your calendar
Managing a business is much easier when you put everything on your calendar. So be relentless when planning tasks, and put everything you plan on doing for your business and your personal life on your calendar. Then, when things are on your calendar, they are all accounted for in one place, so you don’t miss a beat.
Utilize a calendar-sharing app or program for an even more effective way to plan and manage everyday tasks. This way, when you plan things involving other people, they too can be alerted so that they don’t forget and end up wasting precious time and effort.
Before you go
When running a business on your own, it’s important to find easy and effective ways to be efficient. It takes a lot of work, but there are things you can do to make your business life easier and more efficient.
Utilizing tools that make scheduling, planning and organization easier is the best way to achieve that goal. Use these six tools to aid your success to keep being a boss and running your business all on your own.