Operations

Best Small Business Software - Finance, HR, & More

We’ve scoured the Internet searching for the best software for your small business and its finances, HR, and more. Stick with Hoist and see what we’ve found.

Small business owners are the ultimate multi-taskers. From finance, to human resources, marketing, and beyond, small business owners are doing it all. The software options for automating these responsibilities can seem endless.

But we’re here to help! Read on to discover the best tools for your business. From finance and human resources, to internal communication and brand visibility.

The Best Small Business Finance Software

  • Wave
  • Quickbooks
  • Xero

Let’s talk money. Staying on top of your accounting needs is of the utmost importance when running your small business. Still, expense tracking and toiling over spreadsheets and balance sheets can be exhausting. Sometimes, it can be hard to see how forecastinginventory management trends and accounting for seemingly unlimited invoices can be worth the effort.

Now, there are third-party apps that do the nitty-gritty for you. Utilizing software for finances is a huge asset. But with so many products on the market, it is difficult to determine which platform to choose. Check out the options below to see which accounting solutions are right for you.

Wave

Wave has made it its mission to maximize your organization and minimize stress.

You can expect customizableinvoicing and receipt uploads, dashboards for cash balances and invoice statuses, and the ability to search for transactions by description. 

Wave also offers payment processing features, allowing you to accept credit cards and bank transactions on your invoices for as little as 1% per transaction.

With Wave, your assets are saved in the cloud, so you never need to worry about losing any of your data or information. Plus, the company prides itself on safety and security, so it provides 256-bit encryption

Depending on the best plan for you, this is an extremely affordable option and will save your business money and headaches in the long run. This software is accountant-approved and easy to use; however, unlike the other two options, Wave does not include a time tracking feature.

Quickbooks

Quickbooks by Intuit’s goal is to assist businesses of all sizes with accurate bookkeeping. It’s a web-based platform so that you can use it anywhere you have Internet access, making it extremely convenient. 

Quickbooks’ software offers automationfunctions to expedite your services, track payments, and set reminders for yourself like, “Remember to pay your employees!” It also lets you take photos of your receipts, create invoices and online payments, and manage sales taxes and other expenses. 

Because Intuit Quickbooks offers many price points, the most basic software is affordable and suitable for small businesses. This is a great option for you if you are a tech-savvy small business owner. 

Xero

Xero is equipped with advanced features that prioritize ease of use for you and your small business. This software offers affordable plans that send quotes, invoices, and enter bill information. 

Xero has an accounting feature that provides you with updates on your cash flow. In addition to that, Xero’s software offers the option to see a snapshot of your business as it currently stands, which is way more convenient than having to click around a website or open multiple files to find everything. 

The Best Human Resources Software

  • Monday.com
  • IntelliHR
  • Rippling

Company culture is a huge part of what makes your small business run smoothly. Creating a culture is no easy task, so properly maintaining the human resources sector is crucial. 

HR covers aspects like hiring the right candidate, proper training, ensuring a safe work environment, and sustaining a fair and consistent compensation schedule. 

Luckily, there is software that can help you manage everything. 

Monday.com

Monday.com is a user-friendlyproject management software with several pricing plan options based on your business size and needs. The company prides itself on being transparent with its customers, making data-driven decisions, and impacting the community it serves. 

Monday.com has a mobile app compatible with iOS and Android, which makes it easy for team members to manage HR from the palm of their hands. The site’s services range from dashboards that show real-time insights that can influence your decision-making to Kanban boards. It’s software that creates accountability in the workplace by providing real-time work progress.

IntelliHR

IntelliHR is a people-first company that wants to provide for you and help you engage your employees. With IntelliHR, you can receive actionable insights and automate HR practices, so you can set it and forget it. 

This platform provides directories, org charts, real-time feedback, and core HR data storage with several affordable options. It also allows you to set and track performance goals and automate performance reviews. 

Rippling

Rippling markets itself as an all-in-one platform where you can conquer all of your HR needs. Rippling has a base fee but allows you to customize how you want to use the platform and will send you a free quote based on your business needs. 

Some of the features Rippling offers include a unified workforce directory, analytics, and policies. It also allows you to track and file several types of taxes. Rippling streamlines onboarding, training, messaging, and progress tracking. 

Rippling also offers accounting tools, such as payroll linked directly to your employees’ bank accounts and workflow monitors like its track time feature.

When running a small business, finances, and HR should be among your top priorities. But once you have those bases covered, you can devote your time to other considerations. Keep reading to see our best suggestions for improving your internal communication and brand visibility. 

The Best Internal Communication Software

  1. Slack
  2. Microsoft Teams
  3. Chanty

When it comes to being a leader, communication is key. Your employees will value a consistent and effective communicator. Whether an employee needs to tell you they’re OOO or you decide it’s time to call a staff meeting, here are some great platforms to liaise with your employees:

Slack

Slack is a communication platform that provides endless opportunities for collaboration. While group texts work just fine, Slack steps up the game by allowing users to: 

  • File share
  • Tag coworkers in conversation
  • Sync up with other apps
  • Automate returns and requests

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is free, user-friendly, and offers many options for workplace communication. With this platform, you can hold unlimited group meetings and have access to unlimited chat with both employees and customers. Teams facilitate file sharing, task management, and polling. This is also more secure than group text because of its data encryption software. 

Chanty

Chanty is proud to offer a free option made with small businesses and new startups in mind. Chanty’s free plan includes unlimited public and private conversations, searchable history, video calls, file storage, and integrations. 

Again, Chanty wants to be there for small businesses, so the platform provides a dedicated support line to help its customers. 

The Best Software for Brand Visibility 

  1. Hoist
  2. Loomly
  3. Social Pilot

Regarding your small business, visibility matters; the more people you reach, the more your business can flourish. 

You know the market you want to reach, so it’s time to find the best way to connect with them. Nowadays, social media is one of the most efficient ways to do that. 

Check out these platforms that can help you grow your social media presence:

Hoist

Hoist is so much more than marketing software. If you run a small painting business, Hoist’s Home Field Advantage can help you thrive.

Instead of working off a predetermined budget and having no idea of how many home appointments you’ll be charged for, with Home Field Advantage you just let us know how many estimate appointments you want. From there, we go to work, and you only pay for scheduled appointments when they’re confirmed. This approach saves you time, and money, and gives you guaranteed results.

Hoist’s robust marketing engine helps you secure quality, relevant leads from around the web. Places like Google, Yelp, and Thumbtack feed leads into your small business, which itself helps promote brand visibility.

Loomly

Loomly is a comprehensive platform offering an affordable way to enhance your social media presence. Even with the most basic plan, you have access to tools like:

  • Ideas for posts
  • Hashtag suggestions based on popularity
  • Optimization tips
  • Automated publishing 

You can also create sponsored posts with access to analytics for your posts and ads. This lets you see how your audience responds to and engages with your posts. 

Having this information is incredibly useful when trying to increase overall visibility.

Social Pilot

Social Pilot: This platform wants to give you the power to best reach your customers. Social Pilot is an ultra-smart platform that takes some of the work off of your shoulders. 

Instead of creating a separate post for multiple platforms, Social Pilot customizes that for you, and all you have to do is double-check. This software also has an audience targeting feature that will help your posts reach your intended audience. 

Social Pilot will gather information about your audience, the ideal times to post, and provide feedback on post-performance, so you are always in the know.

What To Do Next

When managing your small business, stick to The Three P’s: 

  1. People
  2. Profit
  3. Presence

It is important to manage your people well, take care of them, and offer strong leadership. When it comes to profit, it is critical to have a strong financial planning system in place to ensure your business runs as cost-effectively as possible. 

Finally, the presence of your small business should be authentic and engaging. Use the tools available to you to promote the visibility of your small business. If you’re looking for more guidance and support, Hoist can help. Check out our website for more information.

Sources:

What Is Encryption And How Does It Protect Your Data? ⎸ Norton

11 Effective Techniques For Businesses To Promote Their Company Culture ⎸ Forbes

How Setting Effective Goals Can Improve Organizational Performance

Get ahead of the competition.

Join the 14,000+ entrepreneur growing their business with Hoist's guidance.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Welcome

We're Hoist. We help entrepreneurs successfully run and grow painting businesses. Learn about how to build your company by following along on Instagram and Linkedin.

More for You