Your Guide to the Best Software for Small Business to Use in 2021
Starting a small business is an expensive and risky commitment. According to this study, several small companies closed down due to the pandemic. There is no denying that entrepreneurs need to take risks and be realistic in their plans.
If you are starting a small business soon, you need to make critical decisions. Due to the limitation of resources, small businesses cannot afford the systems and tools required. However, technology and automation have been helping boost them. Online ordering and payments are becoming the new norm.
The best way to run a successful business is by using the software available. They are essential for entrepreneurs and offer various features. Furthermore, by using them, you can run your business smoothly.
Check Out These Top 5 Small Business Software Available
If you’re looking to build something great, you need the right apps and tools to support you. These are five of the top small business software essentials you probably won’t be able to do without.
1. Wix – To Build Website
To start a business, you need to build a website. Wix lets users create a professional-looking website at affordable prices. If you need a basic webpage, you can make use of its free plan.
Wiz offers competent and attractive templates along with a drag-drop editor. It creates your professional website in a few minutes. Wix also helps generate mobile-friendly websites that come fully featured.
Every website you create with Wix has engaging effects, like scrolling, video backgrounds and animations. If you want to take full-fledged advantage of the software, you can use its e-commerce features. Moreover, Wix accepts payments via PayPal, Wix payments, and Alipay. You can manage your online store, inventory, and order smoothly with this software.
Pros of Wix:
- Exceptional templates and designs
- Let’s you insert animations
- Adds hundreds of website apps to your website
- Creates automatic backup
Cons of Wix:
- You can only access e-commerce features by buying Wix’s plans
- Once you set a new template, you cannot change to another one entirely
- The website’s loading speed can be slower on mobile phones
2. MailChimp – To Market Business
MailChimp is a popular email marketing software. Its free email software helps owners perform high-level marketing. MailChimp’s free plan sends up to 10,000 emails to at least 2,000 subscribers.
The software offers various features such as pre-made email templates, audience segmentation, sign-up forms and essential personalization. It also has a mobile app that lets users send emails and view campaign performance.
If you don’t know much about design, MailChimp’s drag and drop designer templates create professional emails. According to the user’s behavior, you can send out the targeted email.
MailChimp’s forever free plan is helpful for the long run, but you can always opt for its paid plans which has numerous other features.
Pros of MailChimp:
- Availability of multiple integration options
- Reports on clients, social media, geo-tracking and Google analytics
- The free plan is beneficial
- A powerful editor
Cons of MailChimp:
- The subscription plans are costly
- Has limitations to its advanced automation
- If you receive too many unsubscribe notifications or spam complaints, MailChimp can suspend your account.
3. Movavi Screen Recorder – For Video Conferencing
To keep up with your business, you need to make use of a good screen recorder software. A great Mac screen recorder, Movavi Screen recorder is best for capturing webinars, online calls and videos. You can connect with your clients and remote workers through this software.
Movavi records audio and video both simultaneously or separately. Movavi also records internal sound with its system’s audio. You can create podcasts, screencasts, and video tutorials through this software.
One of the top features of Movavi is that it schedules your meetings for you. While recording your screen, it adds keystrokes and mouse effects. You can further edit the video, save it in a popular format and share it via social networks.
Pros of Movavi Screen Recorder:
- A multifunctional screen recorder
- User-friendly interface
- It has a fully-featured free version
- Saves files in various formats, including HD
Cons of Movavi Screen recorder:
- Inserts watermark in the free version
- Need additional video editing software for advanced tools
4. Wave Accounting – To Track Accounts
Wave Accounting helps small businesses keep track of their finances. You can record income and expenses, scan and sync receipts, send invoices, track sales taxes and many more, all for free through this software.
It saves most of your time by organizing accounts, invoices and payments so that taxes can become easier for you. Wave calculates your tax deductions and records cash outflow. Users can readily create and send branded invoices from Waves mobile app. For repeat customers, it can set up recurring invoices and payment methods.
Wave is a cloud-based software and poses no security issues for the accounting you do. For all your profits and loss, Wave provides a statement.
Although bookkeeping is quite tedious, Wave can be beneficial for you if you keep your accounts simple. For additional features like setting up payrolls for employees, you can subscribe to its paid plans.
Pros of Wave Accounting:
- Quick invoice managements
- Automatically backs up your data
- Easy to use and navigate
- Smoothly handles multi-currency
- Transactions become easier
Cons of Wave Accounting:
- Time-tracking features are not available
- Can have issues while linking bank account in some instances
- To access additional features subscription is need
5. Wrike – For Project Management
In business, you need to plan and strategize to reach your goals. Project Management software allows people to implement their projects quickly. Wrike is one of the best cloud-based project management and collaboration platform.
It has a range of features and tools such as task management, document collaboration, time and budget tracking, project report and much more. Its free versions support up to 5 users, have 2 GB of free storage and offer unlimited collaborators.
With Wrike, you can organize and track the project team’s work, collaborate with others, and present your accomplishments. The software integrates with other applications such as Microsoft teams, Google Drive, Slack and more to boost productivity.
Wrike’s free plan is ideal for a small team or users who are just getting started with their business. But if you need customization and reporting, you need to upgrade to paid plans.
Pros of Wrike:
- Make use of flexible project templates
- Has interacting Gantt chart
- Good reporting tools
- Let’s users collaborate and comment directly on task elements
Cons of Wrike:
- No note-taking tool available
- Premium plans are expensive for small teams or an individual
- You cannot change the default filter
- Needs third party integration for chat options
Small businesses need the correct tools and resources to flourish.
These are some of the robust software that can help you start your business. They are beneficial for various essential yet crucial aspects needed to be taken care of during a small business. We recommend that you try out their free plan before upgrading to paid subscriptions.
