Solopreneurs work independently and don’t hire employees or other team members, instead relying on software, skills courses, mentors and apps to get the knowledge and support they need. For many solopreneurs, the flexibility and level of control they have over their business operations is worth the amount of work it takes to manage everything on their own.
Apps like those on this list can help solopreneurs balance operations, marketing, financial planning and more while still building relationships with clients and customers. Here are a few tools that can help solopreneurs thrive.
Todoist
Todoist is an app that can help keep you organized. Create a list of tasks, categorize each item according to a project or business need and set deadlines to hold yourself accountable. Todoist will show you which tasks are a priority for the day, allowing you to focus on the next most important thing (and not get distracted by everything else).
[Read more: What Is a Solopreneur?]
Mailchimp
Mailchimp makes email marketing easy. Customizable templates and lots of built-in automation allow you to spend less time designing and sending emails and more time managing customers. The new Mailchimp and QuickBooks Online integration can even automate your marketing and boost your business by reengaging past customers. It’s cheaper to keep an existing customer than to get a new one; with this tool, solopreneurs can get even more targeted in their outreach to boost their bottom line.
HubSpot
HubSpot’s CRM offers integrated marketing, sales, content management and customer service. Bring all your outreach into one platform and take advantage of tons of free tools, such as the Website Grader, Invoice Template Generator, Industry Benchmark Data and Marketing Plan Generator. There’s even a free chatbot builder to help you build your own personal virtual bot, useful for handling those pesky FAQs that customers typically ask you.
1Password
A security breach is a risk that few can afford — especially solopreneurs, who may be operating as sole proprietors. Improve your cybersecurity by using 1Password, a password manager that saves your login information securely. Generate strong passwords and secure documents in your private vault.
Track the time you spend on client work, business admin, business development and more.
Scanbot
Scanbot’s app makes it simple to keep track of expenses and reconcile receipts. Its document-scanning tool captures high-quality images of documents using your smartphone. Scan documents, receipts, QR codes, barcodes, business cards and more, and save your scans in either PDF or JPEG format. From there, you can save the files for your records or send them on for someone else to sign.
FocusMe
We all get a little distracted at work, and as a solopreneur, it can be especially easy to get off-track. FocusMe is an app that can be set up to block, limit or ration the use of apps and websites. Restrict your access to social media during your most productive hours, or improve your work-life balance by limiting the amount of work-related sites you can access during your off-hours. FocusMe can both prevent burnout and improve your focus.
Adobe Creative Cloud Express
For solopreneurs with no design experience, trying to create high resolution images and eye-catching social media posts can be extraordinarily time-consuming. Adobe Creative Cloud Express (formerly known as Adobe Spark) is the design tool for those who don’t have the time or expertise to design unique content. Use this app to access thousands of beautiful templates, plus assets for social media content, logos and more.
[Read more: 5 Small Business Owners on Their Most Essential Tech Tools]
Toggl
Track the time you spend on client work, business admin, business development and more. Toggl offers two apps to help you track your time and manage your projects: Toggl Track is a user-friendly time-tracking tool that captures how much of your day is spent on various projects. Toggl Plan is a project management app that allows teams (and solopreneurs) to plan, track and deliver work on time. Easily organize your work by clients, projects or single tasks.
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