Business as usual is no longer business as usual. Things have changed and a lot of it has to do with the smartphone. According to mobiThinking, there are over one billion smartphones in use around the world. This means there are even more apps in the Play Store and the App Store and on these one billion devices. For entrepreneurs and business owners, business has become more mobile and more fast. Entrepreneurs use apps to accept payments, scan business cards and more.
Rescue a CEO asked some entrepreneurs what phone apps they use that are best for their business.
#1- Grammarly
Eric Quanstrom
It is as close to indispensable as an app can get. Business communications, emails, marketing content, and blogs all benefit from avoiding typos, poor grammar, or suboptimal word choice. Having the little green grammar checker running in the background of my Gmail, Linkedin or Docs gives me peace of mind. I even like the weekly digest of
my own writing, especially understanding my ranking (in percentages) of productivity, mastery, and vocabulary.
Thanks to Eric Quanstrom, CIENCE!
#2-Buffer
Janice Wald
Buffer is valuable to everyone who wants a successful online journey for the following reasons. 1. Buffer allows you to preschedule so you don't have to be at a computer all the time. 2. Buffer optimizes your online posts to ensure your followers are on the web when your content gets posted. 3. Buffer is free with limited posting (10 per day) and limited social media accounts. 4. Buffer app provides valuable analytics. One of those is my Top Post and the time the post went out. Thanks to these analytics, I know what is working for me to boost my ROI. 5. The support team at Buffer is helpful and alert you when your posts go viral.
Thanks to Janice Wald, Mostly Blogging!
#3- ABBYY Business Card Reader
ABBYY Business Card Reader lets you scan and store contact information from business cards in up to 25 languages. The company's award-winning OCR technology makes for accurate recognition of all contact details, such as names, organizations, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. The app is smart enough to detect the edges of business cards and automatically crops out any unwanted backgrounds. Any data that's left unrecognized is highlighted in blue and can be manually corrected. ABBYY Business Card Reader can automatically fill in missing fields such as country codes and extensions and is capable of correcting typos in recognized information. Having a robust synchronization framework, ABBYY Business Card Reader can back up contact data across smartphones, tablets, PCs and other devices. The data can be backed up automatically or manually as per requirement, and recognized contacts shared via email as VCard or JPEG files.
Thanks to Zondra Wilson, Blu Skin Care, LLC!
#4- Timepage
Luke Wester
The calendar app market can be a hard nut to crack as it requires competing with the likes of Google and Apple. Moleskin has brought a fresh concept to the calendar app space both in design and value with the creation of Timepage. Think of Timepage as a more thoughtful calendar app centered around in-person meetings. A map integration helps you plan out travel time and native weather alerts help you dress for the occasion. Follow up reminders are also a built-in feature so your meeting guests can feel appreciated. As for the app’s design, horizontal scrolling is utilized in a delightful way, which can be a challenging task on mobile screens. It makes the app feel more expansive while keeping the viewing area action oriented. Basically, if you’re looking for your mobile calendar app to assist you in more genuine human interactions, download Timepage from Moleskin.
Thanks to Luke Wester, Miva Inc.!
#5- Any. do
After trying several apps to organize my daily routine, I found Any. do and I stayed with it. It is very simple and very complete. It allows me to keep all the things I have to do every day or week and share them with my co-workers. We can set our weekly action plan and check it even if we are remote working. It allows me to set notes and alarms, crucial to keeping the schedule with discipline, especially when I have many things and I do not know which one to start with. In addition, and what is extremely entertaining and useful, it can connect to Alexa. It allows me to be on time and keeping my to-do list clean.
Thanks to Eric J. Anderson, ElMejorTrato.com!
#6- invoice2go
Steve Stoward
Without a doubt! The best app that I use daily in my business is ‘invoice2go’. My business has a high percentage of new and returning clients and invoice2go creates personalised invoices, quotes, expenses, reminders and any other number of chores required at a push of a button. All information backs up onto my home computer instantly which makes tax time a breeze. I can revisit a client that I haven’t seen in 2 years and put my finger on every single bit of information needed start again where we left off. A client that I can barely remember is made to feel as if we spoke only minutes ago. If your business deals with hundreds of clients at varying intervals this is a quality app with excellent support that you shouldn’t look past.
Thanks to Steve Stoward, Mattress Cleaning Melbourne!
#7- Wunderlist
James Dyble
Without a shadow of doubt, keeping high productivity is key to success for anyone in business. I figured this out fairly early on in my career and I am constantly keeping a close eye on my productivity levels. Due to modern technology, I can now keep my productivity levels high using apps. The best app I have found to keep me productive is the Wunderlist app. I have downloaded Wunderlist on all of my devices and I use it to every day (even weekends) to keep a check on outstanding tasks. I have been using Wunderlist for over 1 year and every day since I found it, I have remained productive. I tick off the task once complete and I add in future tasks to make sure I never miss anything. It keeps me organised and it makes sure that I am always on top of my work load. As a result, I have to say its by far my favourite business app.
Thanks to James Dyble, Sound Finder!
#8- Dynalist
Andy Middler
My favorite business app by some distance is Dynalist. At first look it doesn't look all that impressive but I'm a big believer in simplicity. At its core it is a note taking app that allows you to indent items into a structure and collapse and drill into those indented bullet points. You can get stared and use the basic version for free and the paid version isn't that expensive and gives you some handy upgrades like calendar integration etc. I use it everyday for organizing pretty much everything and anything. I keep my book notes there, journal entries, project roadmaps, project ideas, lists of business goals, notes from conferences and seminars, to do lists, and many more. Hands down my favorite business app.
Thanks to Andy Middler, Middlers Online Accountants!
#9- Slack
My favourite business app by far has to be the collaboration and communication software Slack. Not only does this make communicating with other colleagues faster, but it also has a range of plugins and integrations that can help keep notifications in one place. We currently use Slack to discuss ideas, share files, and alert us of any emails from clients and customers. It's also incredibly useful that you can get Slack on your phone so you can always keep up to date with notifications while on the go.
Thanks to Sam Carr, PharmaVaccs!
#10- Networkd
We’re loving the newly launched mobile Bluetooth professional networking app called Networkd, which makes IRL connections for people looking for networking opportunities. The way that people currently network at both small and large events is a disaster. I've attended hundreds of events all over the world and no one knows who's who. As a speaker, you have no idea who is in the audience. As an attendee, you have no idea who is sitting next to you and the networking opportunities are never that fruitful. Networkd allows attendees to make real life connections at events when someone within their interest (whether it be an investor, a developer or simply just for a networking opportunity) is within Bluetooth radius (30 feet). It’s like LinkedIn but in the real world.
Thanks to Lori Cheek, Cheekd!
#11- Instagram
Kurt Uhlir
Having lead both large companies and high-growth smaller companies, Instagram is the best business app I've used over the past few years. Most people are visual people and Instagram lets me tell both our official story while also providing more in-depth live videos and glimpse into the people that make the magic happen. A company's product has to solve a real problem, but we buy from people, not companies. Instagram is a great way to consistently showcase both and then start one-on-one conversations with people or continue the conversations with customers. Plus, I have developed a few strong friendships with other entrepreneurs that I've met because we're both sharing authentic views into our journeys.
Thanks to Kurt Uhlir, Showcase IDX!
#12- Google Analytics
Tim Absalikov
I love the fact that I can check google analytics from an app, it’s super convenient and the app itself works well. I can track links, campaign ROI, the amount of traffic I’m getting in a given day, and everything else that I could look at if I were on the website. The app is well laid out and easy to use – no crazy clutter or shiny buttons. Just the necessities in plain view and not only does it keep the app fast but it’s also easy on the eyes. Definitely an app we use multiple times a day, especially since the industry we’re in continues to move multiple times a day.
Thanks to Tim Absalikov, Lasting Trend!
#13- Trello
Trello is a great app because we’re able to track each project’s progress for each client. It keeps everything in line and we’re able to see where we are and how far we have to go. We can link Trello to our google drive because we use that a lot and we can easily import information we need from Google into our Trello. The best part is the fact that this app is so handy and it’s cheap, which is good because business owners never want to have to pay an arm and a leg for anything.
Thanks to Igor Gramyko, Highwater Standard!
#14- Dropbox
One of my favorite business apps to use is Dropbox. This is file share system that allows everyone within my organization to easily access, add, edit, or remove files. This allows for easy communication and access to all company information amongst employees who aren’t working in the same location. As a small business this allows us to expand more easily into new regions and onboard new employees from coast-to-coast.
Thanks to Candice Simons, Brooklyn Outdoor!
#15- Expensify
My favorite business app (hands-down) is Expensify. It’s made it so much easier for me to keep track of all of my expenses from anywhere in the world, and as someone that travels a lot to meet clients, I love that I can keep all my receipts in order and categorized (while trying to juggle so many different things). Before I started using this app, I was always behind on reconciliations, and frequently missed things.”
Thanks to Keli Hammond, B Classic Marketing & Communications!
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