Running a company efficiently requires a range of services. In a one man shop you end up doing all the tasks from mopping the floor to working out your financial models. Each role in a business usually requires a skill set that is complemented by good software. There still isn't software that will mop your floor but there are vacuum cleaners such as iRobot that will automatically vacuum the floor space when left on. This list is by no means comprehensive but intends to provide a brief overview of some of the software packages you might need. The following is a list of helpful suggestions but by no means is intended to be perfect or comprehensive.
Sales
Accounting
- Quickbooks - basic accounting software
- Email + productivity tools
Nearly every business these days has email, a website and a phone number.
- Google Gsuite email
- Microsoft Outlook - Google email alternative
- Payroll software
- ShiftAI - get employees paid on the PAYE scheme
Customer Support
- Zendesk - an integrated help centre with managed customer tickets system. They usually have new customer promos so look out for them before signing up.
Office Software
Aside from web browsing, you will expect to do work using word documents, spreadsheets, presentations.
- Microsoft Office
- GSuite packages (such as Google Docs, Spreadsheets,etc)
- Airtable - powerful spreadsheet & DB, a little like Google Spreadsheets but with many more user interface tools
Specialist software
Every industry has specialist tools needed for the company to operate in its area and these can range from project management to expense tracking and QA/QC tools.
Design tools
- Adobe Suite - a powerful collection of graphics tools
- Figma - a cloudbased easier to app similar to Adobe Illustrator