10 Must-Have Apps for Entrepreneurs

Today’s entrepreneurs are being faced with an increasing number of issues, from product innovation to reputation management. The digital age has also facilitated the emergence of tech-savvy business minds, those that use mobile and web-based applications for pretty much everything. And as applications get smarter, entrepreneurs can avail the services of numerous apps that don’t just make their work easier, but can even solve routine problems faced by them. The 21st century entrepreneur doesn’t just need to be a specialist in her/his own fields, but needs to be aware of any other aspects, especially if they want to get ahead of the competition. Most entrepreneurs wish for only two things, that they could either create clones of themselves, or more time. These must-have 10 Apps for entrepreneurs are probably the next best thing, so let’s go through the list.

1. Focus Booster

focus booster.

Fed up of being bombarded by constant spam emails and unwanted pop-ups? Then you probably need some sort of Pomodoro timers that allows you to block out the noise. But unlike Pomodoro timers, which block advertisers in blocks in order to increase short-term productivity, focus booster gives you a simple and easy way to remain focussed throughout the day. Plus, it is free, which means that there is no question of it being a bad investment.

2. eSign (formerly EchoSign)

eSign service, e-signatures online, formerly EchoSign.

EchoSign has already garnered millions of fans by giving users the ability to collect virtual signatures on important documents, like contracts and purchase orders, and subsequently archive them on a cloud server. EchoSign is for the green entrepreneur, saving tons of paper annually. Apart from that, it also expedites the signing process as people don’t have to print, sign, and send the signed document back to you.

3. Yast

Yast: Easy time tracking for freelancers & teams.

Almost any business professionals can benefit from some type of time-management App. And whether you want to track the amount of billable hours to customers or vendors, or just ascertain work hour patterns, Yast gives you an easy-to-use solution. All you need to do is literally just press play and the app begins tracking time. Yast is free for personal use, but group tracking packages start as low as $14 a month.

4. Instapaper

Instapaper.

As an entrepreneur, it is important to keep abreast of all the latest economic, political and local news that can affect you or your business. But as we all know, finding an interesting article on the internet can often get surprisingly tough. So, instead of reading through a million new posts that contain mostly useless information, you can save them on Instapaper, which automatically loads preferred webpages and saves them for later browsing.

5. Unroll.Me

Unroll.Me.

One of the worst things about being an entrepreneur is the ridiculous amount of emails that you have to sift through in a day, and who likes a crowded inbox? But thanks to the Unroll.me app, you can scan your email address and find out all mailing lists you are subscribed to. Users are provided with an easy scroll list that allows them to unsubscribe from the mailing lists that don’t interest or help your business.

6. Expensify

Expensify - Expense reports that don't suck!

The Expensify App has come as a God send for entrepreneurs that manage their own business expenses and tax write-offs. This nifty app also allows you to collect data regarding anything from airline miles to the number of coffee cups consumed in day. It allows you to create powerful presentations, integrates QuickBooks, and receipts, and even features analytics tools that track spending.

7. Venmo

Venmo - Share Payments.

Online payment processing can be complex and expensive for entrepreneurs, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). But thanks to the Venmo App, a free money-transfer App, you can now send a receive payments from anyone. What the app does is integrates itself with all of Facebook and smartphone contacts, allowing you to categorize all your contacts as employees, vendors, clients, partners, and of course family & friends. The best part about Venmo is that it doesn’t charge you any transfer fees, and there’s no limit on the amount you can transfer.

8. Leech Block

LeechBlock | A Simple Free Productivity Tool.

Sometimes using Pomodoro techniques, like the focus booster app, just is not enough to keep you focussed in today’s world of a 101 distractions. And in such cases, Leech Block will do wonders for you and your productivity. An advanced Firefox add-on, Leech Block allows you to lock out specific websites from your server. The blocker is customizable to suit your business requirements, and even reminds you when you stray in to a blocked site!

9. Evernote

The note-taking space for your life's work | Evernote.

Yes, Evernote has to be on this list simply because it is one of the most useful entrepreneurial apps in the market. It allows you to store anything from unpublished blogs, to e-mail passwords, while automatically syncing all your device data. Evernote’s greatness lies in the fact that it is absolutely free, and can be used for pretty much any business or personal requirement.

10. Dropbox

Get to all your files from anywhere, on any device, and share them with anyone.

No list of productive apps would be complete without mentioning Dropbox, a software application that needs no introduction, and has become the benchmark for data storage, transfer and syncing. Drop Box is such a useful application that even long time users are probably using only 50% of the software’s true potential.

Conclusion

There is nothing more important to an entrepreneur than getting more out of his time and effort. Meaning that today’s Entrepreneurs don’t just need to work harder, but they need to work smarter. And these 10 Must-Have Apps for Entrepreneurs are sure to give you the boost you need to keep up with business challenges, recognizing that there is always a personal preference when it comes to choosing your favorite must-have Apps based on you needs.

If you have anything to say, please share your opinion in the comments section. Your opinion matters, unless it is a Spam.

»» This post is co-authored by Boutros AbiChedid. ««

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About the Author |
Mauricio is the CEO of Cloudwards.net, a data and user feedback driven comparison engine for cloud apps and services. He enjoys writing and producing educational videos around the cloud to help people find the best cloud service for their needs. Connect with him on Linkedin or YouTube.
Visit Mauricio Prinzlau Website.

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