When you're trying to manage a small business, everything seems time-consuming. And expensive. Keeping up-to-date on payroll, appointments, email, social media and marketing can quickly take over your life, replacing what you really love to do with paperwork and meetings. Simplify the everyday tasks of running a business with the following free tools:
http://www.ranker.com/list/7-free-tools-to-help-you-run-your-small-business/dtaibleson, videos, apps, other,
Appointlet
Google Calendar is the head honcho in scheduling these days, and Appointlet works seamlessly with your existing Google Calendar app to quickly identify the times you're available. Upgrade to the premier version, and you can add an Appointlet box to your website where clients can book appointments with you. Appointlet also enables you to send reminders to clients you're meeting with, so you reduce no-shows and make the most of your time.
Rapportive
Another application that meshes with Google for increased productivity, add Rapportive to Gmail to access content-rich contact profiles right in your inbox. You'll see their profile pictures, their location (if they've made it available) and a snapshot of their LinkedIn profile. You can even leave your own private notes on each contact's profile, so it's easier to remember who's who when contacting prospective clients and connections.
Mural.ly
Sometimes the creative process needs a little push. Mural.ly makes it easy to brainstorm, organize ideas, collect links and other information and collaborate with other members of your business or creative team. You can use it to organize projects, plan events and even map out a marketing campaign. This app looks much like a corkboard or whiteboard on which you can sketch out your plans, so it's intuitive to use—and a big time-saver.
Intuit Paycheck Calculator
Whether or not accounting is your strong point, you've got to deal with some degree of number-crunching when you own a small business. Intuit's free paycheck calculator lets you trash all your complicated tax withholding tables for a free, easy-to-use online app. Use it to input your employees' hourly or salary pay and calculate net pay (and share with them so they can do the same).
Tableau Public
Sometimes, a picture (or a graph) is worth a thousand well-phrased blog posts or ads. Whether you're looking for a compelling, attractive way to share data with your employees, prospective clients or existing customers, Tableau Public is an easy and free way to create beautifully infographics, charts and other data visualizations.
Google Analytics
Another free tool in Google's suite, Google Analytics offers business owners and website managers a wealth of information about your company website and blog. Analytics gives you a complete picture of each visitor's journey to your site, which helps you identify ways to point traffic right where you want it.
HootSuite
Manage your company's social media with HootSuite. This product enables you to access all your top social media sites—including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and others—from one easy-to-use homepage. Because you can communicate without leaving the HootSuite dashboard, it's easier to stay up-to-date on all your social networks. HootSuite also analyzes traffic and tracks brand mentions, so you can tell what your followers are talking about. On HootSuite, the individual plan is free, while the pro package costs $8.99/month.