Flying solo? Here’s to you and your decision to go it alone. But remember, you are never truly alone. The network of solopreneurs and small businesses is growing and it’s amazing to see the level of support entrepreneurs are getting, especially from the business ecosystem. There are literally hundreds of apps in the marketplace that work as your virtual team while you live out your entrepreneurial dreams, but here are 5 must-have mobile apps for solopreneurs that you just shouldn’t go without.
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Wunderlist Though a calendar might seem enough to schedule meetings, events, and to-dos, Wunderlist does a lot more. It’s the best way to keep track of both your work and personal to-dos, and its multi-platform models let you sync lists across all your devices. You can set a reminder for an item on your list, add subtasks within the main task, make a note, or add a file or a link for reference. The best part about Wunderlist is that you can share a list with someone, delegate items within the list, and start a discussion about that item, all within the app. There’s no better way to track conversations on that remodeling project, website revamp, or just the groceries.
Productivity tip: We love the tags feature that allows you to create a tagged item and then search for them across lists. For example, make a list for each client, and add a hashtag for each item to specify what kind of task it is. Then you can search using the hashtag to get a list of similar tasks that you can finish in one go.
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It feels wrong to call Evernote a “note-taking app” when we all know it’s so much more. Use the business card camera to make a smart contact card that connects to LinkedIn. Try the Evernote Web Clipper to quickly save articles to read later. Scan and save documents on Evernote and they become searchable for the content you are looking for. And of course, use it to capture action items from a meeting, prepare checklists, or as your go-to jot pad. Like we said, this isn't a note-taking app, it’s your work center.
Sync-up tip: Note-aholics can add their Post-its and trusty Moleskines to their Evernote accounts. The Evernote camera is like a smart personal assistant that categorizes your Post-its by color and your Moleskine jottings with the help of Smart Stickers.
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Is it an email app? Is it a to-do list? Is it an organizer? No one really knows. The only thing that’s clear is this: if you have an overflowing mailbox, you need Inbox by Google. Each email is treated as a task to be managed—you can snooze it and look at it later, pin it and set a remember to perform an action based on the email, or finish up with the email and mark it as done. This way, you know you have addressed everything that comes into your inbox.
Speedy tip: Want to reply lightening fast to a mail? Try Smart Replies and select one of the suggestions in response to an email. Just tap send and it’s done!
If you are looking for ways to manage your Twitter account better, StatusBrew could be your answer. You can track both your followers and unfollowers (so that you can figure out why they did that and how to get them back) and also sort out mentions by person. The app lets you see which of your followers are active and which of the accounts you follow are fake or inactive. You can then choose to unfollow or block them. The app also lets you automate most of your tweets, including first interactions with your new followers.
Networking tip: You can identify accounts based on the filter options available. The filter option lets you cut through the noise, add condition types based on total tweets or following or followers, and then apply them to filter accounts. The Activity tab then shows you a list of Twitter accounts basis the filter you applied.
Paperwork can be the biggest productivity killer for a solopreneur, and breaking out of the print-sign-scan cycle can free up time for more productive tasks. That's where we come in. Signeasy lets you sign documents online from your mobile, which means you can sign that lease agreement while commuting, or fill in that time-sheet while on site, or respond to bids and inquiries in minutes. Use the in-person signing option to close deals while at the client meeting, or try the remote signing feature to get a signature from anyone no matter where they are. You don’t have to wait to kick-start a project ever again.
Privacy tip: Safeguard your electronic signature with the passcode feature and a biometric ID so that only you can authenticate and finalize a signed document.
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A solopreneur’s extended team should include not only mentors, partners, and clients (yes, your clients are the best marketing team you can ever have), but also these apps. All of them are mobile-friendly too, so managing your own business does not mean you have to be chained to a desk. Install them on your smartphone and take your virtual team wherever you go!
