Running a new business can be an emotional rollercoaster, as the entrepreneurs have to go back and forth managing every function themselves. In such a scenario, they are always looking for resources and a handy startup toolkit that could save their time, costs, and mental health.
By definition, “a toolkit is a skill and knowledge that are useful for a particular purpose, or activity, considered together.“
This article will offer advice on the tools and resources to help young founders be the best at their job.
Why is the Startup toolkit essential?
- With the help of these tools, you can kickstart your startup if you are beginning or are overwhelmed by organizing your workflow.
- The best part about taking the help of these essential resources and tools is that you can get ‘ ‘professional’s help without spending a whole lot of money.
- These free platforms save your precious capital, and you can invest the savings in some critical projects.
- Even if there are some paid services, they offer a cost-effective alternative to hiring multiple people to manage the same function.
- Organized and Efficient.
- Less time-consuming.
- All you need is your laptop and a bear-minimum team of professionals
In ‘ ‘today’s world, you have the power of the Internet and with that, you can access numerous tools without going anywhere. A lot of startups these days start from home and they can grow their startup and allocate funds to growing the business by reducing the expenses with the helpful hand of the Startup toolkit available on their Laptops, Mobile Phones & desktops, etc.
Here are the15 Essential Tools & Resources that we will be discussing in this article.
- Slack
- Zoom
- Calendly
- Trello
- Numberly
- Google Doc
- Canva
- Fiver
- Typeform
- Google Analytics
- Google Ads
- Callhippo
- Unsplash
- Hootsuite
- io
I’ll now briefly describe the tools for an all-rounder toolkit, so ‘ ‘let’s get started and help you achieve and build your Startup toolkit.
Slack
Slack has been here for a while, as almost half of the Fortune 100 companies and millions of individual users rely on Slack for communication and collaboration. In the post-Covid world, Slack and similar communication tools made more sense as people were working from home. With soaring remote jobs and outsourcing, any startup founder could not miss out on checking Slack.
It allows you to build a digital ecosystem by integrating multiple platforms and accessing data at a center point. In addition to the individual chat, you can create dedicated groups and channels for projects/teams and coordinate with your team like a boss.
Zoom
Most startups outsource as they don’t have enough resources to hire dedicated teams for each function. This is why having a platform to interact with the remote team of freelancers is very critical. While Slack offers a lot of communication and collaboration capabilities, Zoom offers the next-level experience to manage videocalls, interviews, pitch conferences, webinars, podcasts, and much more.
Zoom comes with features that will help you in the long run, such as recording the meeting so you can look over them later. Touch up if you ‘aren’t ready for a meeting. If you ‘don’t have a proper office, you ‘don’t have to worry about It with Zoom as it gives you the option of changing the background of your choice.
Calendly
When you are trying to run a startup, you have a lot of responsibilities and are juggling many tasks simultaneously. Scheduling interviews, deadlines, and meetings are a hassle, so we have added Calendly to the startup toolbox.
Calendly is the answer to all of your unorganized prayers. It has amazing features that help you keep on track and not miss any meetings or interviews. All the deadlines and meetings are followed through because it has your back when you are too busy looking over other aspects of the startup.
Within 5 minutes you can send a link to the desired meeting on the platform you want while picking the time and date that suits you, and it is added to your calendar.
Trello
With the help of this tool, your nightmare of managing ongoing projects and coordinating with the team is over. Trello helps you create a dashboard where you can set the tasks, assign them to the team, keep track of your team’s progress and keep an overview of the pending, completed, or in review.
Numberly
If you ‘don’t have enough knowledge of finance and accounting, you need this tool at your disposal to secure an investor and make a foolproof financial model. Numberly.io helps you achieve your dream by providing assistance from professionals who have worked with all kinds of businesses and helped them grow.
Financial modeling is key to a successful startup as it covers all aspects of your business including the forecast, marketing, assets, growth, and progress. If the financial plan isn’t correct or isn’t updated you won’t able to succeed ‘ ‘it’s as simple as that.
Google Docs
To edit, proofread and comment on documents, Google Doc is an incredible tool as It helps you collaborate with your team members, view their content, and share a document with the help of a link to a third party.
For numbers, you can use Google Sheets and manage your financial tasks. For presentations, there are Google Slides, and much more. The best part is – you can access Google Docs (and your data) on the go from any device you want, as there is no need for dedicated installation.
Canva
To grow a startup, you have to market and sell your products and services. And one cannot do marketing or sales without graphic designs. Canva is one handy tool every founder should have in her startup toolkit. It allows people with less technical skills to create graphics and presentations required for their business.
Using Canva, you can design logos, social posts, presentations, business cards, brochures, company profiles, and much more.
Fiver
It is a very popular tool when it comes to hiring freelancers in all areas. When you are starting a new business you ‘don’t have a lot of resources and finding the best way for a task while spending carefully is quite essential. This is where Fiver comes in, it helps you hire the person according to their qualification, experience, and affordability. There are a lot of tasks that you need to be done right and quickly and you can do that with the help of Fiver.
Typeform:
Every business tries to fulfill the needs of the customers, and if the customers aren’t happy with the products or service, the business won’t succeed. To help you get feedback from the customers, we recommend Typeform for your startup kit. It will help you understand the perspective of your audience and how you can improve your product.
Google Analytics:
Website is one of the earliest marketing collaterals that a startup develops. It helps reach the audience, convey your message, and capture leads. But how would you measure if the site is performing well in terms of attraction and customer engagement? Google Analytics is one such free tool that offers you an in-depth analysis of your portal and content performance. This coupled with Search Console can make your startup toolkit a real power backup.
Google Ads:
Once a business is set up, its biggest challenge is how to attract more leads and win customers. This is difficult because there are a lot of established brands in the market, so making your presence felt can be a challenge. In this scenario, Google Ads can work as your helping hand and give you the platform to reach the audience and convey your value proposition.
This would require financial investment as ads are not free. However, with the right messaging and optimization, you can control your cost of advertising, cost per click, and cost per lead. More, the Google Ads platform is integrated across Google’s ecosystem, giving you an option to get exposure at Search, Display, YouTube, and partner networks.
Callhippo:
Your revenue and growth ultimately decide if your startup will succeed or not. You might be wondering that you have started a business, but where do you find the right audience or phone numbers to sell your product. This tool covers this as it provides you with phone numbers to contact customers, record their feedback, manage employees and see your progress. It is a dream come true for all businesses that largely depend on commission-based work.
Unsplash
Whenever you pitch your idea to potential clients or investors; you have to tell a convincing brand story that appeals to them. No one has the time or the patience to go through paperwork or a boring presentation, which is why you have to incorporate visuals & graphics. With soaring stock photography prices, a startup might be unable to find the right visual for their marketing collateral. However, platforms like Unsplash solve your problem. With the help of Unsplash in your Startup toolkit, you will be able to create an eye-catching and exquisite presentation that your clients won’t be able to say no to.
Hootsuite
This tool helps you get your business across different social media platforms and get the desired result. If you don’t want to hire a social media manager because you don’t have the resources for it, you can opt for Hootsuite. It will give you the best results possible with affordable prices and no hassle.
Hunter.io
Last but not least, this tool is designed to find you the investors or sponsors you might need for your startup. To put it in layman’s terms it’s a phone book with emails. It provides information that can help you get to the top of your game. Not many people know about this tool which makes it more necessary to have in your Startup kit. It will give you the edge you need to succeed.
If you don’t have the funds to hire a financial team, No Worries! To get a free Consultant with professionals for your financial model, book your appointment with experts at Numberly and seek their advice.
