Lucas Miller — November 22, 2016 Follow @EchelonCopy
Manning a startup isn’t for the faint of heart.
Seriously, there’s a reason roughly 90 percent of startups fall flat on their respective faces within a few months or years of launch—it’s tough to make it in an increasingly competitive world.
That said, by no means should this kind of statistical finding keep you and your team of forward-thinking gurus from taking the entrepreneurial plunge. What it should do, however, is have you committed to working both smarter and harder right from the get-go.
And while dominating the “hustle and grind” side of things is more of an internal commitment than anything else, working smarter requires you to have a firm grasp of what you’re doing.
I’ve got good news for you, though—in our very digital day and age, you’ve got a number of programs at your disposal to help you work smarter than you ever thought possible.
Below, you’ll find a tried-and-true list of four productivity tools for up-and-coming startups just like yours. So, what are you waiting for? Keep reading to learn more about what you’ll need to take your startup’s success to the next level:
1) Teamwork: Brosix
It was Andrew Carnegie who once famously said, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
The thread of commonality running through each of Carnegie’s words? Unity. Basically, for a startup to quickly see success, there must be singleness of mind, purpose and work at every level.
This is where Brosix comes into the picture.
Brosix is one of the industry’s finest internal communication tools. Through it, startup squads are able to conduct group and private chats, file transfers, screen share sessions and much more—all this using a highly secure system.
Safety? Not an issue. Multiple languages? No worries. Tech support? Easy as pie.
Though big-name brands like Asana, Slack and Contriber might immediately come to mind, for affordable, top-notch teamwork to take place, Brosix is your best bet.
2) Outsourcing: Upwork
Speaking of teamwork, for your startup to make a name for itself in the not-so-distant future, many of the people you’ll work with won’t technically be “official” members of your team.
Bound by a tight budget, you’ll need to outsource important, yet time-consuming tasks to a freelancer or two. The only problem, here? Finding talented, reliable freelancers is one of those things that’s easier said than done …
Move over, Brosix—it’s Upwork’s time to shine.
Upwork is the Internet’s leading freelance job board.
Laying claim to over 12 million registered freelancers, it’s no wonder Upwork regularly connects top-tier talent with its ever-expanding base of five million client accounts.
What are they looking for, you ask? Check it out:
- Content Writers
- Web Developers
- Virtual Assistants
- Graphic Designers
- Data Entry Specialists
Truth be told, no matter the skill you’re looking for, on Upwork, you can make a meaningful connection that could very well turn into a long-term working relationship. No matter your interests, abilities or budget, Upwork can help you find a game-changing freelancer—and fast.
3) Project Management: Trello
Needless to say, as evidenced by the mountain of sticky notes that line the edge of your desk, computer monitor and personal pegboard, your working world is a hectic one.
And while you’d be wise to keep it as well-organized as humanly possible, there’s yet another facet of your business that deserves even more organizational urgency—your clients’ accounts.
It doesn’t matter if yours is a B2B or B2C startup, with long-lasting partnerships being largely built on the backs of positive brand experiences, keeping properly coordinated is of the utmost importance.
You’re in luck, though—Trello is able to make project management a breeze.
The beauty of Trello isn’t just that it allows you to organize any project with anyone, it’s that the system’s interface is visually driven. Because of this, workflow collaboration is as simple as dragging and dropping virtual post-it notes into their corresponding categories.
Lists, labels and tasks—they’re all incredibly easy to integrate.
So, whether you’re redesigning a website, posting company updates or managing a number of moving parts to bring a complex, multi-faceted project to fruition, Trello is just the resource to make it happen.
4) Virtual Meetings: BlueJeans
Yes, the face-to-face meeting is still an important part of everyday business, but as of 2016, the more digital you can make interactive experiences, the better—this includes meetings.
Fortunately, long gone gone are the days when attending online meetings was commonly met with pixelated screens, shoddy audio and continual dropped calls. Instead, startups from all kinds of industries are using BlueJeans for their interoperable video communication needs.
The brilliance of BlueJeans comes from its ability to provide both small and large teams with face-to-face, two-way video. Using a web browser, desktop app or even a smartphone, meeting participants are able to chat, share screens and record meetings.
Still not convinced?
Combine a variety of workflows using Outlook, Skype and other popular business programs—all this with the mere click of a button. When all is said and done, if actively in pursuit of video conferencing dependability, look no further than BlueJeans.
Conclusion
Running and growing a startup isn’t an easy endeavor, nor should it be. Simply put, as is the case with anything in life, if the potential payoff is tremendous, there’s likely difficulty ahead.
Listen, are there other tools out there that can also help startups improve their productivity?
Of course there are. Still, if you presently find yourself at a loss for what to do to improve overall efficiency, each of the above four tools is more than enough to point you in the right direction.
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