Must Have Tools For Technical Founders Silicon Valley may tell us otherwise, but running a startup is more grit than glamor. Apart from the overwhelming task of going head-to-head with the world’s corporate giants, there’s the day-to-day stress of managing your team, looking for the right investors, and growing your business.
If you’ve been at for a while, you’ve probably realized by now that it can’t be done alone–even though your name happens to be Mark Zuckerberg. At the same time, budgetary constraints make it nearly impossible to hire new staff, let alone an entire department.
This brings us to the startup dilemma: How can I grow with limited cash?
The answer is–and has always been–technology. Instead of hiring more people or investing in more infrastructure, startups have turned to software and applications to fuel their growth. Whether it’s project management software or a visitor check in app, there’s a ton of tools out there that make managing your business much easier.
As someone with a technical background, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Tech is what got you here in the first place, after all.
Looking to grow? We put together some of the most effective tools technical founders can use to expand their companies.
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Must Have Tools for Technical Founders
Trello
Juggling multiple projects at a time?
Trello keeps all your team members on the same page–literally. The app allows you to break large projects into boards, cards, lists, and tasks so you can check things off as you go.
In one click, you’ll be able to see that Jim is on graphics, Sally is on web development, and Billy is on content.
Including even the smallest tasks may seem a bit much but at least you’ll be able to keep everyone accountable, even for the little things.
Greetly
Okay, so you don’t have the budget for a secretary. What now?
Greetly.com allows you to automate visitor registration, contracts, reception, and pretty much everything a secretary does (or doesn’t do). That way, you’ll be able to give your customers and clients an accommodating experience without having to hire a secretary.
HootSuite
If you’re into social media marketing, you probably know how difficult it can be to keep up with multiple accounts.
HootSuite allows you to view all your social media streams on one page and schedule posts across all your accounts. Plus, it gives you regular email summaries of your social media activities.
If you want to learn more, read 7 Reasons You Should Use HootSuite.
Google Drive
Email is fine if you’re sending small to medium files. However, if you’re looking to manage gigabytes of data, you should look for something more powerful…That’s where Google Drive comes in.
Google Drive allows you a respectable 15GB of free storage. If you opt to upgrade, it isn’t that expensive either. Monthly prices are: $1.99 for 100GB, $9.99 for 1TB, and $99.99 for over 10TB (read: 9 Benefits Of Using Google Drive).
These four tools are just the tip of the iceberg. If you look around the Internet, you’ll be able to find an app for almost every task you can think of.
Best of luck!