Small Business Essentials You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you are looking to start a new business or are already a small business owner, you may be overwhelmed with the number of articles and blogs online devoted to helping you be successful. Or, perhaps you are just looking for a few new tips and tricks to try, to help make your business more efficient. Either way, here are some essentials for small business owners that you didn’t even know you needed.
1. Online Faxing Service
When you hear about a faxing service, you may be thinking the technology is outdated, or that you can more easily send documents by emails. You may wonder how you can even send faxes without a machine or office set up yet. These are common misconceptions about faxing in the modern business world.
Faxing is very important technology to have in your small business, as email is not secure enough for important or confidential documents. Emails can inadvertently be sent to the wrong recipient, they can be forwarded to anyone with an email address, and others can accidentally be added or cc’d on emails they should not be receiving. Email accounts can be hacked, and private documents can get into the hands of cyber thieves, anywhere in the world. With online faxing, the document is only sent to the correct recipient, making it completely secure and safe. All businesses have private and confidential documents they need to keep secure, and faxing is the best way to send them without worry. When it comes time to send sensitive information, faxing is the way to go.
In the modern business environment, faxing does not mean using a large, bulky machine in an office. Online faxing is a convenient service you can take advantage of from anywhere in the world, and from any device. This means you do not need special equipment, an office, or even paper. This is why an online faxing service is such a great option for you and your business. You can fax from your smart device, your computer and your email, wherever you are. Find the best online faxing service that is ideal
for your business or even personal needs.
2. Upwork
Even if you are a small business, there are many tasks and jobs that need to be completed. However, you may not have the resources to hire employees to complete the tasks. Upwork is an online job board similar to Indeed or Handshake. With a few clicks, you can find people to hire who are experts in their fields.
Jobs can be to complete just one specific task, or can be hired to work on a more regular basis. Freelancers are available for web design, mobile app development, software programming, digital design tasks or creative writing. You can also find experts in sales and marketing, admin support, customer service, data science and analytics, and engineering and architecture.
The process is very easy and user- friendly. You simply post a job, which is free. Once the job is posted you will get bids within 24 hours where you can then view their work history and interview candidates you are interested in. Once you find the ideal candidate, you can hire them and use the Upwork application to communicate. There is a video call feature, chat feature and the ability to share and track projects and milestones.
The platform is helpful in hiring people for just one particular task, and has protections in place for both the client and the freelancer to ensure the work is done correctly and payments are fair and accurate. Working and
communicating through the app is safe and secure for both sides.
3. Alison
Whether or not you already have a degree, or are starting your own business and need to upgrade, Alison is a great resource to take advantage of. Alison is an online application where you can take classes and receive certificates or degrees. The classes are meant to be completed at your own pace and on your own schedule. When you start your own business, there are many things to learn along the way that you may not have anticipated. For example, if you want to take a class on marketing, you can view all of the classes available, or even look for more specific skills such as social media strategy.
This application is very useful because it is available to anyone. Even without a business degree, Alison allows people with a dream of starting your own business to succeed. Amazingly, the courses are completely free and available for anyone to use on any platform at any time. So, if you are currently running your business and are worried about making it to a class at a specific time, then Alison is a great option for you.
These business essentials are all great resources for someone that is either starting their own small business or is currently running a small business. There are lots of things that you may not have necessarily prepared for when it comes to opening up your own business. Having these extra resources can take a little stress out of the monumental task of creating a successful business.
4. Packlane
Custom packaging is essential to every business that is selling goods, whether it’s food, clothing, household items, or makeup. High-quality packaging is especially important to e-commerce businesses. With the spotlight on the unboxing experience, product packaging has become an essential part of the customer’s overall experience with the product and brand. Packlane allows you to create branded packaging with full customization, instant quoting, and fast turnaround times.
The company has a user-friendly website and design lab to let you customize your branded packaging. You start by choosing your box style and quantity. After which, you can start designing your packaging. You can upload images and add text and any colors you desire. As you design, you’ll see an instant quote so you know exactly how much your final order will cost.
Packlane is the only custom packaging service with a custom design lab, live preview, and instant quote, helping businesses create the branded packaging they envision in the most efficient way.
