The Small Business Tools Every Entrepreneur Needs

Are you a cool entrepreneur? Lemme check your labels.

I heard from Jackie who heard from Brian who eavesdropped on Alisha telling Marcus that you’re NOBODY if you don’t have these small business tools.

Let’s face it, Asana is the Abercrombie of today’s small business tools. (Or is it Acuity…InfusionSoft…Dubsado…or that one tool that manages your clients AND makes you bulletproof coffee? I can never remember…)

If the cool kids (i.e. the high rollers working 4 hour work weeks from their hammocks, sportin’ mad media mentions on their websites, and lists the size of small countries) are using X or Y small business tools and singing their praises, their must be the best choice for your biz, riiiight? Even if you don’t know what to do with half the features listed on the slick sales page?

In this episode of Awkward Marketing, we’re talking about how to pick the right small business tools for you and whether you should heed the cool kids or forge your own path.

A few years ago, when I was searching for the best CRMs and project management tols for my web design business, I must have trial tested every single product on the market. And, sure enough, when I opened up the question of best small business tools to the entrepreneurs in my favorite Facebook groups (and the almighty Google) it seemed like everyone had THE ANSWER with a capital A for Asana.

I flashed back to high school when each clique clung to their favorite brand name. The preppies had Abercrombie, the alt crowd had Stussy, the glam girls had Bebe…and theater geeks like me had RENT shirts. (No day but today, baby!)

Back in high school, I never sported the hottest labels, and that continues to be the case today. And it’s not simply because I enjoy “going against the grain” (as they sang in RENT) but because, as I share in this episode, I choose small business tools that fit my systems, not the other way around. 20 years ago, Abercrombie didn’t fit my needs or my style and today the same is true for Asana.

If you’re in the market for a new tool for your small business, check out this episode of Awkward Marketing before you plunk down a big chunk of change on the hottest tool on the block.

Follow my three-step process to finding the small business tool that’s best for you.

Because we all know the coolest kids make trends, they don’t follow them.

Rachael Kay Albers

Rachael Kay Albers is a creative director, business comedian, and brand strategist gone wild. She writes and performs about branding, pop culture, tech, and identity. When she’s not muckraking about marketing, Rachael runs RKA ink, a reinvention studio and branding agency for businesses that burn the rulebook. She's also on Instagram a lot.