Best Free Apps to Get Your Business Off the Ground

When you are starting out on your business you should be armed with the best tools to help you succeed. As a start-up, we can understand not wanting to splurge on every aspect. You will want to save as much as you can. So we have taken expert reviews on the best apps out there that can help get your business get started, without weighing on your wallet. Of course, the apps will have to be free!

Small Business Bank

“One of our favorite free apps is the Small Business Bank app. This is a free checking account for small businesses. For small businesses that are bootstrapped, a free business checking account is a great place to start. Which is why we started off with the SBB account. We have had great service for years with them, and continue to use them even though we are now capable of switching to a local provider.”

Jeff Neal, The Critter Depot

Create Invoices With Wave

“My top-rated free application to get your business off the ground has to be Wave. It is a fantastic free app that assists business owners with budgeting and accounting, as well as providing additional financial features that you can find useful. Wave enables users to generate and submit customized, professional invoices in any currency, as well as translate estimates into accepted invoices easily. Wave allows you to connect to an unlimited number of banks and credit cards, monitor your income and expenses, and check an unlimited number of receipts (even when you’re offline). If you like what you see, you can charge a fee to accept credit cards and bank transfers as well as manage payroll.”

Daniel Foley, CMO at Scooter Guide

Square

“Small business owners are always on the move, whether they’re at a convention or meeting, a networking event or a speaking engagement, on a construction site, working from home, or in the workplace. Small business mobile apps can help you stay organized and on top of things while still increasing productivity. Payroll, project management, payment processing, marketing, customer management, mileage monitoring, and other activities are all made easier with mobile applications for small businesses.” says Alan Harder, Mortage broker, recommending Square, “Right now, Square is the most common payment app for small businesses. Square can favor small businesses such as beauty salons, convenience stores, and food trucks. Square is a mobile app that allows you to swipe credit cards and comes with a free reader. This small reader connects to your phone or other computer and helps you to quickly and easily process payments. Both credit card purchases are subject to a 2.75 percent fee. You’ll have to pay extra for a contactless and chip card reader. If you need any more information, I’m happy to reply as soon as possible. I also provided my headshot if ever you’d want to use it. If you decide to use this — let me know and I’ll promote the article via my channels.”

Alan Harder, Mortgage Broker, Owner AlanHarder.ca

TripIt

“TripIt is a lifesaver for small business owners who take a lot of business trips. TripIt gathers all of your travel information and notifies you of any flight changes. It might be able to assist you in finding a different flight and obtaining the best seat. Send your itineraries to TripIt, and it will automatically update your travel schedule across all of your devices. You can also display your itinerary offline to avoid paying roaming fees when traveling outside of the country.”

Nicole Graham, Lifestyle/Relationship Coach, Womenio

Contxts

“Business cards are inconvenient. They’re expensive, inconvenient to carry around, and the information is often outdated. Contxts is a business networking app that allows you to submit information that would normally be found on a business card as a text message. You may either text or bump the recipient’s phone. You may also ask your contact to send a text message with your account name, and your information will be automatically texted back to them. You can also export your contacts and provide links to your company’s website, LinkedIn page, social media accounts, and other websites in your contact information. Except for any SMS charges from your service provider, Contxts is completely free to use. It’ll work on any computer, even those that aren’t smartphones.”

Tammi Avallone, Managing Editor, FiveBarks

Slack

“Their channel + smart notification systems help keep communication, transparent in the company. It also allows for easy creation of channels (essentially chat rooms) making sure only people who are relevant to your conversation get notified about it. Having everything in one place makes work easier for team members, and luckily, Slack allows integration with other applications to make work effective.”

Richa Nathani, Content Manager, Dialed Labs

Trello

“The ability to communicate with all your teams and clients is what enables you to get tasks done on time and according to specifics. Trello does this through a set of cards. Here you can leave your comments on the projects and the cards are easily moved/copied across the dashboard. The cards are used to track a project by assigning either “in progress” or completed”. You can even set reminders for teams.”

Cody Crawford, Co-Founder, Low Offset

LinkedIn

“One Free App to Get Your Business Off the Ground is LinkedIn. If you’re probably still using this business networking tool on your phone, the software is well worth the download. LinkedIn is a strong marketing method, and you’re likely to use it more often now that you have the app. Send alerts on the move, build new contacts, attract new recruits, track inspiring businesses and individuals, and monitor your rivals. “

Jennifer Foster, Managing Editor, Life/Relationship Coach, Authority Astrology

Google

“Business owners with a tight budget can avail free apps that can help them get their business running, and with Google, you can get all the help you need. Free, online, and can be upgraded when needed, Google offers the free use of word documents, sheets for generating reports, data sharing, and even communicating with remote employees. You can get everything done to make your business run smoothly in one place, and it’s all for free.”

Chris Muktar, founder of WikiJob.co.uk

With the array of applications available to manage your new business, you can find the one or combination of some that suit you best. With the right tools, you only need your determination and resilience to embark on your business venture with confidence. So go and conquer your business dreams!