Best Productivity Tools for Small Businesses

Looking to boost efficiency? Discover the best productivity tools for small businesses, from project management to team collaboration and time tracking.

Allison Dunn

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The only way to build a strong and successful startup is by being productive. Raising the bar both for you and your employees is essential in order to reach goals. However, this can be tricky especially now when the majority of companies are working in a hybrid model. Some employees think that their productivity level is higher when they’re in the office, while others think that working from home helps them organize better. Either way, there are certain tools that can make your life easier.

1. Notion

If you’re looking for a platform that can organize all your working activities, then you should definitely check Notion. Notion helps you to blend all your workflow into an all-in-one workspace. 

The team collaboration and scheduling becomes much easier, and what furthermore facilitates your organizational process are various templates. Of course, you can create your own workflows, complicated or simpler ones, but templates could be a good place to start. 

2. Asana

Another great business tool for startups is Asana. This project management tool will help you to easily create and assign tasks so that everything goes according to the plan. It’s especially convenient for startups, so if you want to improve your team communication, make sure to check it out. 

Another great news is that you can try it out completely free, because its Basic pricing plan is meant for individuals or small businesses that just started their journey. If you find it enough, you can forever stay on that model without the need to upgrade to a paid version!

3. Trello

One of the business tools for startups that you must have heard of is Trello. Trello is also a project management tool that powers both small and enterprise size teams. You can set deadlines, assign tasks, and create boards in order to break down each step of the process and communicate it better with your team members. 

As well as Asana, Trello also has a free option, so you and your teammates can test it out.

4. Chisel

Another absolute must-have tool for start-ups is Chisel, as it is also one of the best software for overall product management. It is a tool that enables product managers to quickly and easily create beautiful roadmaps, manage features, and track overall progress. With this tool you can easily see what’s been delivered, worked on, and what’s coming up next. 

Chisel is also great for keeping stakeholders up-to-date with the latest product developments and collaborating with other team members. The best part is that there is also a free version for you to get your hands on today and test out.

5. Nifty

Nifty is a versatile free project management software designed to streamline your workflow and enhance team collaboration. With its intuitive interface and powerful features, Nifty helps you plan, track, and complete projects efficiently. Whether you’re managing tasks, setting goals, or collaborating with your team, Nifty offers everything you need to stay organized and productive.

6. Brosix

Brosix is a team messaging platform that allows you to communicate with your team in a secure and private way. It is a powerful and easy to use instant messaging platform which supports features such as file sharing, video conferencing, instant messaging, and more. It is a chat and collaboration software that helps teams work together more effectively and share information in real-time. It’s the perfect way for teams to stay connected.

7. Resource Guru

Keeping the employees happy and productive is essential for any business, but it’s hard to keep tabs on workloads. Resource Guru makes resource management easy with its forecasting & scheduling tool. With drag-and-drop simplicity, you can easily make sure no one gets overloaded or burned out – giving everyone the chance to stay engaged and enjoy their work!

8. Apploye

Apploye is a time tracking software designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It allows managers and supervisors to easily track the work hours spent on tasks and projects by their employees, and provides insights into employee productivity and performance. With Apploye, you can monitor your team’s activity in real-time, set up automatic reminders to keep everyone on track, and create detailed reports that help identify areas for improvement. The software is user-friendly and easy to set up, and it supports a wide range of devices and platforms, including desktop and mobile devices. The data generated by Apploye can be used to make data-driven decisions, improve time management, and increase the overall productivity of the organization.

9. RingCentral

RingCentral is a unified enterprise phone system designed for modern businesses. It’s an all-in-one platform for messaging, video meetings, and phone calls. It allows you to work from anywhere on any device, be it a desktop app, mobile app, or browser of your choice.

This productivity tool allows you to stay on top of your projects and provide task visibility. You can create and assign tasks within group and private conversations. With RingCentral, you don’t need to toggle between different apps. It integrates with 200+ popular apps such as Google Workspace, Salesforce, Okta, Microsoft 365, and more to streamline workflows on a single platform.

10. NAKIVO

When it comes to safeguarding your small business from unexpected disasters, NAKIVO is your ultimate ally. This robust platform offers a seamless blend of features designed to ensure the resilience and continuity of your operations.

NAKIVO empowers small businesses with a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that’s as simple as it is effective. With this solution, you can seamlessly orchestrate backup, replication, and failover processes from a user-friendly workspace.

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What are the best productivity tools for small businesses?

The best productivity tools depend on your business needs. Notion, Asana, and Trello are great for project management, while Brosix and RingCentral help with communication. Apploye is ideal for time tracking, and NAKIVO ensures data backup and security.

Start by identifying your biggest challenges. If task management is an issue, consider Asana or Trello. If communication is a priority, Brosix or RingCentral may be better. Many tools offer free versions, so testing a few before committing to a paid plan is a smart approach.

Yes. Many productivity tools offer free plans, including Notion, Asana, Trello, and Nifty. These free versions often include essential features that are enough for small teams to improve their workflows without spending extra money.

Most productivity tools offer integrations with popular platforms like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and Salesforce. Before choosing a tool, check its integration options to ensure it works with your current software.

Start by training your team on how to use the tool effectively. Choose one or two tools that address your most immediate needs and gradually integrate them into daily workflows. Encourage feedback from your team to make adjustments and ensure smooth adoption.

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Allison Dunn

Allison Dunn spent 25 years as an owner and executive of several businesses, including an engineering firm, manufacturing company, and architectural firm. In 2013, Allison founded Idaho’s top-ranked business coaching company, Deliberate Directions.

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