The Home Business Digital Toolkit One of the numerous reasons why my first home business finally developed into a raging inferno was a lack ...

The Home Business Digital Toolkit

One of the numerous reasons why my first home business finally developed into a raging inferno was a lack of in-depth understanding of all the highly valuable home business tools, services, and platforms at my disposal—which could've helped me more efficiently build a profitable home business.

Whether your new venture is built on a physical product, a service-based offering, or the next iPhone app that everyone must have, you'll need an arsenal of essential tools to get you started as fast as possible.

There is no place like home, and as a result, working from home may be a real delight. You get to wear whatever you want, listen to music that inspires you at whatever volume you choose, and always have quick access to your favorite homebrewed coffee. However, despite the numerous benefits, working from home has its drawbacks, and you must be prepared with the necessary equipment to chase your dreams. Check out these tools that your home-based small company needs.

Tools for tracking time

Time tracking tools are vital whether you work for a business or simply for yourself. Programs like TSheets and TimeClock Plus allow you to punch in and out of the work clock so your boss knows how many hours you've worked. These technologies are vital if you manage a remote team of employees since they allow you to easily observe when and where your team is putting in time.

Apps like Top Tracker and Due Time Tracking can help you keep track of how much time you spend on projects for particular customers. Track your hours and then charge clients with the click of a button. These tools are vital if you want to measure the financial worth of each of your clients since they enable you to divide projects based on pay and hours worked.

Apps for collaboration

A collaboration software is essential if you operate in a team. It takes the place of lengthy meetings, shared notes, and whiteboards brimming with ideas. Instead, everything is done online, and each member of the team may contribute and edit information to the project as it progresses.

Trello, on the other hand, is simply a collaborative list-making platform with a slew of other fun features. Aside from that, there are a plethora of collaboration tools on the market, and you may need to experiment to discover the best one for your purposes. Slack, Evernote, and even Google Drive are all viable options.

Storage in the cloud

If you're exchanging a lot of papers or doing a lot of work for customers, you might need more storage than what your computer has. Cloud storage can be beneficial. It may also serve as an important backup, ensuring that you do not lose anything if your hardware fails. Take a look at Dropbox, Mega, OneDrive, iCloud, and Box.

Headphones with microphones integrated 

Even if you utilize the greatest collaboration software, you may need to attend a virtual meeting on occasion. When utilizing platforms such as Skype or Google Hangouts to connect your team, you want to make sure the conference works smoothly and quickly. Using headphones with built-in microphones, you can reduce noise in the room or outside. Find a secluded location where the background won't be a distraction and your team can concentrate on the conversation.

For document signatures, use cloud collaboration

Signing papers is a necessary element of doing business - from contracts to legal paperwork, every employer and employee must sign a document at some time. You should not, however, rely on snail mail to have these documents signed. In today's world, you can bypass the time delays associated with ordinary US postage by delivering the papers over email. DocuSign and Adobe Reader, for example, support automatic signatures, making document signing easier and faster. There are several programs available that allow you to print the papers, sign them, and rescan them into an email. If everything else fails, you can always pull out the old scanner.

Account for commercial purposes only

You can deduct your business costs on your tax return if you work from home. Failure to do so might increase your tax liability unduly. Consider creating a separate company account from your personal account so you can quickly purchase products as needed and keep track of your expenses.

You may wish to utilize a business checking account, a specific company line of credit, or a business credit card, depending on your financial situation.

Apps for tracking expenses

Consider employing an expenditure monitoring software to enhance the role of your small business account. There are several choices on the market, ranging from Shoeboxed to Expensify, with varying pricing points and conveniences. Applications that enable you to take a photo of your receipt, apps that link with your accounting software, and even apps that track your miles so you don't forget to report that charge are all available. This also makes it much easier for your staff to track their business spending from their homes or remote workplaces.

Tools for social media involvement

Working from home may be isolating, so you may want to connect with a group electronically to prevent feeling lonely. There are several online communities for work from home professionals. You can join a group based on your gender, parental status, religion, industry, or any other community with whom you choose to connect.

You may also hunt for a group depending on your career. That may be a wonderful way to bounce ideas off of people in the business, learn about new employment, and just check in on how others are dealing with various work-from-home issues. You may locate forums by conducting a few web searches, but you can also access them through platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook. These social media are frequently used to gather community support.

Tools for managing social media

Of course, social media provides more than simply a venue for professionals to network. These sites can also be used to discover clients or learn about new job possibilities. Create professional profiles on the sites that your clients use to make the most of your internet presence. On the internet, you may discover demographic statistics regarding who utilizes which platform.

Then, follow businesses or individuals who are likely to post content of interest to your clients. Repost interesting content, but don't forget to make your own pieces and offer links to your sites as well. Invest in a social media management system, such as HootSuite or Salesforce tools, to ensure that you never fall behind on your social media posting.

Tools for invoicing

If your home company is based on invoicing, you understand how important it is to get paid on time by customers and clients. When clients are late with their pay stubs, it affects your cash flow as well as your capacity to build and grow your small business. Tools like Wave and Due provide free solutions for sending bills faster, putting more money back into your business's pocket. If your customers or clients are having difficulty paying their bills, try utilizing Kabbage's invoicing payment service to provide them the option of paying you back with funds.

Working from home may be both enjoyable and fulfilling. You may be as comfy as you like, focus on your job without the distractions of an office, and customize your home office to suit your needs. However, the correct tools are still required to ensure productivity is as good as it would be in an office. Your small business is ready to flourish from home if you have these critical tools.