Running a business is obviously very demanding of your time and energy.
One of the biggest challenges is adapting to your additional responsibilities and shifting role as a leader while your team grows. In my experience, when our team was between 10 and 20 employees, I was pretty hands on.
Most leaders are hands on at this stage. They have their hand in developing product or overseeing client services. They also likely oversee operations on a day to day and participate in production tasks.
But as companies grow, the role of the business owner and CEO evolves with it.
For example, we grew into the range of 25 to 30 employees over the last year, leading to a big change in my daily experience. Most of my time now is spent on big-picture strategy and communication between all our teams. I evaluate performance on an individual and team level.
When you reach this size, you need flexibility, where you can take a step back while staying present with your company. This helps you make the most of your time as a leader of a scaling business.
Fortunately, as technology continues evolving, an important consideration comes to mind: Are you capable of running a business on your smartphone?
No matter the circumstance, whenever I have to be out of the office, I still feel very connecting and in tune with Bluleadz at all times. This flexibility and sense of security is all thanks to several business apps I use on my phone.
Here are 12 business apps that can help you with running a successful business from wherever you are.
General Business Apps
1. HubSpot
We live and breathe HubSpot, and thanks to their awesome app, I can stay in touch with every aspect of our company.
For example, if I need to check our monthly traffic numbers, I can log in and view analytics in the marketing hub. Or, when I need to wrap my head around our teams' current business opportunities, I’ll review the ongoing deals in the sales hub. Within the service hub on the app, I can look at communication with leads in the conversations feature.
In other words, the HubSpot app makes me feel like I have the entire Bluleadz flywheel in my pocket!
2. Databox
While HubSpot analytics is valuable for your standard reports, if you need a deep dive on all your business KPIs, Databox is your best tool. The mobile app delivers daily and weekly summaries, giving you a convenient overview of the latest results.
Having access to every important piece of data gives you a great sense of contentment – you can essentially check the health of your entire business in one tap.
3. LinkedIn
Using LinkedIn on your phone helps you stay in touch with your network, which is especially helpful if you’re engaged in an ongoing conversation or if you’re reaching out to others via InMail.
But what’s also awesome about the LinkedIn app is that you can access your Sales Navigator to gain a good overview of who’s in your sales process. This also makes it easy to see where your sales team is making progress or hitting a wall.
4. Evernote
I attend meetings and connect with people in my network for informal lunches. I learn a great new tip while listening to an audiobook during my commute. I hear a great idea at an event.
Whenever these situations arise and I need to jot something down quickly, I don’t need to write on napkins or receipts, which I will probably end up losing or throwing away. Instead, I can make quick notes and later organize them using Evernote.
The Evernote app makes storing and organizing my thoughts so easy. For example, you can use tags to group related content, so if you need to brush up on a specific topic, you can find in no time.
Admin and HR Business Apps
5. QuickBooks
Administrative tasks are always a big time sink for business owners, which is why using a business management automation tool like QuickBooks is so important. Otherwise, you’re spending way too much time on outdated processes and manual tasks.
If you’re running a business from home or just out of town and you need to address important activities, like processing payroll and invoices, you can do it all with the Quickbooks app. It's nice having an HR department available 24/7 x 365.
6. BambooHR
The ultimate, robust HR app, BambooHR is one of the best business apps for small business owners who need help with HR. The software streamlines everything, from hiring and onboarding to compensation and beyond.
Their mobile app streamlines payroll processing, helps manage employee schedules, and completes several other recurring HR tasks that will save you a ton of time.
7. PandaDoc
Document automation software is a game changer. You get to visualize what stage important documents are thanks to business automation tools like PandaDoc.
So if I’m waiting for a signed proposal from a new client or processing employee paperwork, I can track the workflow of these documents and see when they’re signed and advanced through the process within the PandaDoc mobile app.
8. Square
We’ve all seen Square being used at big events, where users simply plug a credit card reader into their phone. This obviously makes it easy to process payments in the moment.
So if you’re selling products at an event or just want to be ready for a quick transaction at any time, the Square app can be very helpful, reducing friction to ensure you get paid immediately.
Project Management and Communication
9. G Suite
This is truly the most robust set of tools on this list. With Gmail, you obviously have email capabilities, and the robust Google Analytics is a free tool for measuring the success of your business – another source of important business metrics.
But with the entire G Suite on your phone, you can literally cover all your bases, including document management. Thanks to Google Drive, you can store and organize all your documents and content assets in one central repository.
10. Slack
Yes, email still plays a big role in running your business. But there are plenty of issues to expect – the recipient might not be checking their inbox. Perhaps certain files won't fit into a message.
Enter Slack – the ultimate business communications tool. Bonus points for an amazing mobile app – it perfectly recreates the experience you enjoy on desktop.
11. Jira
Another important piece of the BZ puzzle is project management software. Agencies have a lot of projects going on with various clients, so it can be easy to get disorganized. But with Jira, you can organize every project.
Their mobile app allows you to make adjustments to your team boards and ensure you hit deadlines, all with a few taps on your phone.
12. Teamwork
Similar to Jira, Teamwork is another awesome project management tool. Their app also helps you guide teams and streamline ongoing initiatives.
To put it simply, your productivity, efficiency, and collaboration are firing on all cylinders when you have the Teamwork app.
Running a Business From Home (Or Wherever): Then and Now
In the past, your employees would be stuck waiting for you if you were out of the office. Approvals would hold up processes. Communication would get delayed. These bottlenecks would slow down your business in big ways.
But now, in this amazing digital age, communication tools like Slack keep entire teams connected at all times.
This sense of connection and the ability to stay in touch with your company helps you become more flexible as a leader. So you can go to lunch with an opportunity or visit a client at their office without worrying about creating company-wide friction. You're also not lugging around big laptops.
Instead, the successful leader can succeed with running a business on his phone.
Eric Baum
Eric is the CEO / Founder of Bluleadz. His passion is growing businesses and listening to Jimmy Buffet. Oh yeah, and golf when he can find the time.