So you started your own business—first of all, congrats! Second of all, wow, you’re probably feeling a bit overwhelmed (to say the least!).
Whether you already have a small team, or it’s just you for now, you need tools to help you get things done, keep things organized, and move your business forward.
Lucky for you, you don’t have to dip into your savings just yet! There are plenty of solid free options on the market, ranging from social media and graphic design tools to banking and scheduling software.
Scroll through the list below and choose the tools that’ll help you gain a competitive edge without spending a dime. 🥳
Here’s to growing your business—you’ve got this!
YouCanBookMe is a booking system for small businesses that allows customers, clients, and team members to schedule meetings with you in seconds. It syncs with your online calendars and automates scheduling to ensure you never double-book or miss an important meeting. YouCanBookMe is known for being highly customizable, letting you highlight your brand and adjust it to your specific needs.
Why you need it 👉 Time is money, and that’s exactly what YouCanBookMe’s scheduling app saves you. It completely eliminates the back-and-forth hassle of trying to find a time to meet by letting people book straight into your calendar in just a few clicks.
Bottom line—you can’t grow if you’re stuck chasing down appointments. YouCanBookMe can handle that for you so you can focus on more important things, like growing your business!
Noteworthy free features:
Novo is a free online banking solutions platform for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It eliminates the hassle of traditional banking by combining a free online business checking account with automated tools, debit cards, and invoices so you can focus your time and energy on what really matters.
Why you need it 👉Cashflow is the lifeblood of any start-up. Novo simplifies your finances with no hidden fees, easy transfers, and instant insights into your spending. It’ll let you manage your money like a pro without needing an MBA—but if you already have one, props to you! 👏
Noteworthy features:
Trello is a project management tool that uses boards, lists, and cards to help you organize tasks and projects. It allows for real-time collaboration, making it easy for start-ups to stay aligned and productive. With features like labels, checklists, and due dates, Trello ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Why you need it 👉 Juggling multiple projects and deadlines isn’t easy, and, as a start-up, you’re probably knee deep in them. Trello’s intuitive boards and lists help you visualize your tasks and progress, and let you finally sort them out. It’s like having a digital command center that keeps your team aligned and projects on track.
Noteworthy free features:
Google Analytics is an analytics app that gives in-depth insights into your website’s performance. It tracks traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates, helping you get to know your website inside and out. Google Analytics essentially gives you the data you need to optimize your SEO and marketing strategies.
Why you need it 👉 Without concrete data, you’re basically stumbling around in the dark. Data is crucial for determining the right direction for growth and improvement, and that’s what Google Analytics gives you! In a nutshell, its real-time reporting and audience demographics help you understand and boost your online presence.
Noteworthy free features:
Canva is a graphic design software that lets users create stunning visuals without design expertise. It has an extensive library of fonts, templates, and photos to choose from to nail your brand image and style. You can even design printable products and have them shipped to you!
Why you need it 👉 First impressions count, and the first thing that catches many an eye is your graphics. While you may not be in a place to hire a designer yet, Canva will help you get along just fine in the meantime. With its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, you’ll be able to easily create social media posts, marketing materials, and presentations—no design degree required.
Noteworthy free features:
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💡Pro-tip: Once you’re ready to hire a graphic designer (or any other valuable team member), check out which interview scheduling tools can help you out! |
Mailchimp is a marketing campaign tool that simplifies email marketing for small businesses. Step one: use their easy-to-use templates, automation features, and audience segmentation to set up and monitor email campaigns. Step two: take a look at Mailchimp’s detailed analytics to track engagement and refine your strategies for maximum impact.
Why you need it 👉 One of the #1 priorities for any new business is gaining customers, and that’s what Mailchimp is for! It’ll help you reach your audience with targeted email campaigns and automated messages to grow your customer base without breaking the bank.
Noteworthy free features:
Later is a social media management tool for planning, scheduling, and analyzing your social media posts. It allows you to connect all your accounts in one place, helping you build a streamlined and consistent social media presence. With Later, you can easily organize your posts and gain insights into what you’re doing right, and what you can improve.
Why you need it 👉 Without an online presence, start-ups are virtually invisible. But you also don’t exactly have the time to be logging on to your social media apps every day—enter Later. It’s free plan allows you to schedule posts, track engagement, and manage multiple social media accounts from one dashboard.
Noteworthy free features:
Zapier is an automation software that connects your apps and automates workflows, saving you countless hours on repetitive tasks. By connecting with over 3,000 apps, you can create custom workflows for your start-up without any coding knowledge. For example, you can add Zaps that will automatically add every new newsletter subscriber to your CRM, so that you don’t have to be the one doing that manually.
Why you need it 👉 Zapier essentially lets you work smarter, not harder. It’ll connect your ride-or-die apps to automate routine tasks that eat up your time, leaving you free to strategize, gain new clients, and grow your business.
Noteworthy free features:
Slack is a messaging platform for seamless team collaboration and communication. With real-time messaging and the ability to call team members, Slack lets you work together effortlessly, no matter where you are. Plus, the tool’s integrations with popular apps, searchable archives, and easy file sharing keep your team productive and connected.
Why you need it 👉 Clunky email chains are just not it. If you need to quickly get in touch with your team, a messaging app is the way to go. Slack will keep your team in sync with instant messaging, file sharing, and screen sharing.
Noteworthy free features:
As a start-up, sometimes it’s just you, yourself, and…well, you.
If you find yourself without the funds to build a team (yet), but still need a sounding board or brainstorming partner, then ChatGPT is your girl robot. It’s an AI-powered assistant and chatbot that you can use for anything and everything.
ChatGPT is akin to having an extra team member who’s always on call, never takes a break, and is always ready to help. Although it’s definitely not a substitute for the real thing, it’s very handy for when you hit a wall and need a push in the right direction.
Noteworthy free features: