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Our Favorite Tools for Small Business Owners

  • Writer: Miranda Kishel
    Miranda Kishel
  • 8 minutes ago
  • 3 min read
Tools for Small Business Owners

Running a small business means juggling dozens of responsibilities at once: managing finances, tracking projects, following up with customers, and keeping operations running smoothly. The right apps, templates, and platforms can save hours each week, reduce stress, and help you build a scalable business—without hiring a full team.


That’s why we created Our Favorite Tools for Small Business Owners, a curated resource containing the exact tools we use, trust, and recommend to clients every day.


1. Why These Tools for Small Business Owners Is Useful (and the Problem It Solves)


Most small business owners are overwhelmed not by lack of effort—but by lack of structure.

You’re constantly switching between tasks, learning new software on the fly, and reinventing the wheel with every new project. This leads to:


  • Wasted time

  • Missed follow-ups

  • Inefficient workflows

  • Inconsistent financial processes

  • Difficulty scaling

Our toolkit solves this by giving you ready-to-use systems, broken down into categories so you know exactly which app, template, or platform to use for each business function.


No more guessing. No more searching. No more trial-and-error.


According to Intuit’s QuickBooks Small Business Index, business owners spend nearly 4–6 hours per week on administrative and financial tasks alone—time that could be eliminated with better systems and automation.

2. What’s Included in the Toolkit


Inside Our Favorite Tools for Small Business Owners, you’ll find:


A. App Recommendations (organized by function)


  • Finance & Accounting – bookkeeping, invoicing, bill pay, payroll

  • Operations & Project Management – scheduling, task management, workflow automation

  • Marketing & Content – graphics, planning, scheduling, analytics

  • Communication – email, messaging, CRM

  • Document Management – storage, e-signature, forms

B. Plug-and-Play Templates


Ready-to-use templates you can copy instantly, including:


  • Cash flow tracker

  • Monthly bookkeeping checklist

  • SOP and workflow templates

  • Client onboarding script

  • Marketing content planner

  • Basic financial projections worksheet

C. Platform Recommendations


Our vetted list of platforms (free and paid) with notes on:


  • Strengths and weaknesses

  • Best fit businesses

  • Price ranges

  • Ideal use cases

D. Quick Start Guides


Short, easy-to-follow setup instructions for:


  • QuickBooks Online

  • Google Workspace

  • Canva

  • ClickUp / Asana

  • Zapier automation basics

3. Step-by-Step Instructions to Use the Toolkit


Step 1 — Identify your bottlenecks Make a quick list of challenges: too many emails, disorganized documents, inconsistent bookkeeping, etc.


Step 2 — Go to the relevant section in the toolkit Each category is labeled clearly so you can jump right to the tools that address your top priorities.


Step 3 — Choose 1–2 tools to implement first Don’t overhaul everything at once. Start small—usually accounting, task management, or CRM provides the fastest win.


Step 4 — Use the included quick-start guides These give you step-by-step setup instructions without the overwhelm.


Step 5 — Add the templates into your weekly or monthly workflow Plug them into your existing systems or start new ones, depending on your needs.


Step 6 — Revisit monthly to add more tools Growing businesses evolve. Having this toolkit on hand keeps your foundation strong as you scale.


4. Tips for Getting the Most Value


  • Start with your biggest pain point—not the fanciest feature.

  • Automate wherever possible (even small automations save hours per month).

  • Use templates consistently—consistency builds systems, and systems build scalable businesses.

  • Don’t pay for platforms you don’t need—free or low-cost options work great for small teams.

  • Review tools quarterly to make sure everything still fits your stage of business.

  • Keep everything simple—the best tool is the one you’ll actually use.

5. Download the Toolkit


You can access Our Favorite Tools for Small Business Owners here:

-> Download the Toolkit Now — Free (or view it directly in this post if embedded)

If you’d like help choosing tools tailored to your business model, workflow, and goals, just let me know—I can walk you through building a smart, streamlined system that grows with you.

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