When I started my business, I checked out all the free options I could find to help kickstart my business until I made enough income to upgrade those accounts! I have narrowed down that list to the 3 best free tools for small businesses. 

First things first, 

It’s okay to look for free options! It doesn’t mean your business is cheap. You are making well thought out decisions and spending your money elsewhere until your business grows and you adjust accordingly! Don’t beat yourself up over being frugal!

So get ready!

I am going to break down the 3 best free tools and expand on how you can use them, and why they made my list!

Here we go!

Google Drive

#1 At the top of my list is *drum roll please*……. Google Drive and its corresponding systems!

I’ve used GD since middle school (please don’t make me count how long ago that was!) and fell in love with the software in high school!

You can have everything stored in Google Drive and log on a separate computer- with your Google account and you are set to continue working!

In my business I use Hangouts for my discovery calls, Docs for anything I need typed up (blog drafts, notes, etc), Sheets for content calendar spreadsheets and housing links to my blogs, and Forms for inquiries, signs ups for VIP days and whatever else I need to collect client info!

Google Drive and its components may seem daunting, but it is SO easy once you get comfortable and it frees up space on the hard drive of your computer- WIN WIN!

Hello Sign

#2 Is Hello Sign, an amazing tool for sending contracts!

Any entrepreneur NEEDS a contract! Whether you’re a photographer scheduling senior sessions, a coffee shop collaborating with a local vendor, or a virtual assistant like me signing on clients– you need a contract!

It will save you more times than you can count! There are many templates you can use to draft your contract if you don’t have one. Or you can generate one yourself, I just recommend that you share it with fellow SBOs and get their take to see what’s missing. 

Circling back to my point here….when you are sending a contract, use Hello Sign!

You have 3 free contracts to send a month *and* you can easily upload your master contract from your Google Docs and add in your signature, date, and where you need the other party to sign. Then you simply email it to them through Hello Sign and your contract is sent! 

It truly could not be simpler! There are paid options if you need to send more contracts per month, but it’s a great start costing you $0! 

Square 

#3 Send your invoices, schedule recurring payments, and more!

I have used Square  for years!! If you don’t use a CRM (client management system) for payments and invoicing, Square is an amazing option! You can set up invoices, recurring payments for other parties– it’s your all in one point of sale (POS) system! 

You can add items into the POS system for easy checkout in person or quick invoicing. Your customers are saved with phone number or email so you don’t have to remember that info!

Again, there are paid options if you want to add an appointment scheduler, marketing, website design and more. 

The free option is perfect for as long as you need!

All In All

I hope you find these 3 free tools to be helpful in your business!!

If you’re looking for other programs free and paid be sure to check out my blog Top 5 Best Tools for Small Businesses

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