Once your business is legal and registered, the next step is to get the right business software to help you manage your operations.
Depending on your industry, there are a variety of accounting, payroll, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools available that can make running your small business online much easier.
When selecting the right software for your business, be sure to consider factors such as cost, ease of use, and scalability.
We’ll go over each type of software to make sure your specific business needs are covered.
Accounting Software
When it comes to starting an online business, accounting software is one of the most important tools that you will need to help manage your finances.
Accounting software is essentially a program that automates many of the financial transactions that take place within your business and can help you with everything from invoicing to tracking expenses and generating financial reports.
This not only saves you time and effort when it comes to keeping track of your finances but can also help you make more informed decisions based on real-time data about your business.
At Small Business Bonfire, we highly recommend using accounting software to help manage your online business.
Some of our favorite accounting software options include QuickBooks Online (a great choice for small businesses and freelancers) and Xero (great for payroll and inventory tracking).
CRM Software
CRM (customer relationship management) software is an essential tool for marketing and sales-based companies.
This type of software helps you to do the following:
- Manage customer relationships
- Track sales and leads
- Automate marketing campaigns
Having a good CRM in place can help you streamline your customer service processes, as well as increase sales by leveraging key customer data.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one CRM platform, we recommend HubSpot. While it can be on the pricier side if you’re looking for robust features, HubSpot has you covered with a ton of useful tools.
If you have a smaller budget, we recommend either Less Annoying CRM or Pipedrive for simplicity and affordability.
Project Management Software
Finding the right project management software is vital to the success of any online business.
Project management software helps you to plan, assign tasks, and collaborate with team members on projects.
This type of software can be especially helpful if you have a distributed team working remotely or need help staying organized when juggling multiple projects at once.
Some popular options for project management software include:
- Trello (for basic task tracking and collaboration)
- Asana (for more robust features and integrations)
- Basecamp (which offers a range of project planning tools)
POS Software
POS (point of sale) software is another important tool for running an online business.
This type of software helps you to manage things like:
- Invoicing
- Payments
- Inventory tracking
It’s especially helpful for those who are selling physical goods or services at a brick-and-mortar business as well.
For businesses that are just starting out, we recommend choosing a POS system with a low monthly fee that lets you scale up as your business grows.
Some popular options include Square (which is great for small retail operations) and Shopify (which offers more features if you’re looking to build an e-commerce platform).
Credit Card Processing Software
If you’re conducting any type of online business, having the right credit card processing software is essential.
This type of software helps you to securely process payments from customers and can help ensure that payments are processed quickly and efficiently.
We recommend choosing a provider with low transaction fees and plenty of features (such as fraud protection).
Some popular providers include:
VPN Software
VPN (Virtual Private Network) software is another essential tool for online businesses.
This type of software helps keep your data safe and secure by encrypting your connection and hiding your IP address so that no one can track you or hack into your computer.
An example of a great VPN software is NordVPN, which offers both security and privacy features at an affordable price.
In our opinion, it’s best not to skimp on security measures when it comes to running an online business.
Merchant Services
This is typically one of the cornerstones of any online business.
Having the right merchant services provider in place will help you to securely and reliably process payments from customers.
When choosing a merchant services provider, it’s important to look for one that offers low fees, secure payment processing, and easy integration with your e-commerce platform or point-of-sale system.
Some popular options include:
- PayPal Merchant Services
- Stripe Payment Processing
- Square Payment Solutions
Email Software
We previously mentioned the importance of having a powerful email marketing campaign in place. Email software helps to make this process a breeze.
Having the right email software in place will help you to track customer engagement, automate your campaigns, and personalize your emails.
Some popular options include:
- Mailchimp (which we mentioned that we utilize)
- Constant Contact (which offers great features and analytics tools)
- Campaign Monitor (which has powerful automation capabilities)
These services allow you to focus on creating content that resonates with your customers rather than worrying about the technical aspects of sending out emails.
SEO Software
SEO software helps you to monitor and improve your search engine rankings so that more people can find your website or blog.
We recommend choosing a service with features such as:
- Keyword research tools
- Link building capabilities
- Analytics reports
Popular options include Moz Pro and Ahrefs (both of which offer various levels of plans depending on your needs).
If you know what to pay attention to, having the right SEO software can really help your online business stand out from the crowd.
Website Builders
Website builders allow you to quickly create professional-looking sites without any coding knowledge. This is a huge benefit for startups that want the same capabilities as larger businesses without the need to hire a web designer.
We recommend WordPress if you’re looking for a free and easy-to-use site builder. However, if you want something more robust, Shopify is a great option (it also offers eCommerce capabilities).
No matter which route you choose, having a website that looks and works well will be essential for your business’ success.
Website Hosting
Once you’ve built the site, you’ll need to find a reliable hosting provider.
We suggest selecting one that offers features such as:
- Secure servers
- Fast loading times
- Customer support
- A reliable uptime record
The easier it is for customers to reliably and quickly access your site, the more likely they are to return.
Some popular options include Bluehost and HostGator (both of which have plans for businesses of all sizes).
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