I have an honest confession
Before I start writing the content of this message, I have an honest confession to make.
And it is; “I have a beef with you”.
I should talk about the subject of my beef
Or
Should I just forget?
Let’s discuss why we are here fess.
Being an SME Owner, especially in your early days can be both interesting and tiring due to handling multiple business operations and all.
Only you will do communication officer, customer relationship officer, accountant, marketer, PA, and CEO.
If you can relate, put your hands up.
I understand you may not be able to hire professional hands at the moment.
However, because you cannot hire professionals, you should not run your business like …… you get it now.
It’s better to be perceived as a brand with potential than one without bearing. You will earn the trust of your potential clients and build more credibility.
To help you navigate your business and further position you as an intentional business person, “here are 10 Digital tools to make your business easier to run as SME Owner”.
1. Canva
As a small business owner, especially if you are just starting out there are basic things you can do on Canva to help position your brand as an intentional one.
You may need to create or generate an invoice, receipts or make promotional materials for your business.
Canva has drag and drops features that enable you to do all these things seamlessly.
2. Facebook Creator Studio
Like I said earlier, every business in its fundamental stages needs to put out social media content to connect with the audience and its brands.
Facebook Creator Studio is a tool created by the Facebook team to help you schedule, analyze, track and post to different Facebook and Instagram pages or handles.
It is a foremost tool you want to explore and guess what, it is FREE.
3. Remove.bg
Just as the name implies, it removes the background from images and pictures. It can be useful for business owners to create content for their businesses.
4. Microsoft Office
The Microsoft tools are one of the most useful tools in every sphere of life, it is a valuable tool in the business or corporate sector.
You can use it to prepare your business documents, spreadsheets, business pitch, invoice, and other documents you may want to create.
5. Mailchimp
This tool is an email marketing system, it’s quick and easy to keep your email subscribers up to date on the latest happenings in your business and any special offers or promotions you’re running.
Many of these tools also let you auto-generate a regular email newsletter to your social networks, so you don’t need to make them on your own.
It is FREE for the first 2,000 subscribers. You may want to try it out.
6. HubSpot
Hubspot is a Customers Relationship Management Software acting as a central repository, where you can get a 360-degree view of your customers and suppliers.
From tracking how many of them are opening your emails to watching your team’s interactions in real-time and managing all touchpoints, CRM software organizes everything.
There is no wonder why many business owners feel that it’s no less than a life-saver!
7. FreshBooks
FreshBooks is an all-in-one cloud accounting software for entrepreneurs and small business teams.
It completely automates administrative accounting tasks like tracking expenses, invoicing, and vendor relationship management.
Its award-winning customer service is always free and supported by real humans, which for young businesses, is a saving grace.
8. Paystack
Paystack for business lets you accept all major forms of payment.
Start accepting credit cards and payments or send invoices online and take payments from your mobile devices. Simply add the Paystack button to your website and give your customers a fast, safer way to pay.
9. Docusign
Whether you’re approving a purchase, closing a sale, or signing an agreement, DocuSign enables anyone to electronically sign agreements from anywhere.
Choose from more than a dozen applications and more than 350 different integrations, covering the entire agreement process from preparing to signing, acting on, managing agreements, and more.
10. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with nearly 660+ million users worldwide.
LinkedIn helps you make a valuable business network and expose your works to potential high-paying clients and investors.
Which of these tools do you use?
Which of them did you just know about?
Which of them are you planning to use?
We can continue the conversation in the comment section.
Oh, about the BEEF? We’ll talk about it later, for now, you should feel free to reach out if you have any enquiries.
You can reach me via alex@lagos-sme.com
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