10 Essential Tools for Small Business Success

Running a small business is no small feat. Whether you're a one-person operation or growing a team, having the right tools in your corner can make all the difference. From organising your tasks to streamlining communication and design, these essential platforms help save time, reduce stress, and support your business as it scales.

Here are 10 tried-and-tested tools that can help boost your productivity and keep things running smoothly.

1. Monday – Organise Your Projects with Ease

Monday is a project management platform built for collaboration. With its visual dashboards and flexible layouts, it helps teams manage tasks, deadlines, and progress all in one place. Whether you're launching a new product or planning your content calendar, it’s a great way to stay on track.

2. Google Workspace – Seamless Team Collaboration

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) offers an all-in-one solution for emails, documents, spreadsheets, and cloud storage. With real-time editing and sharing, it’s ideal for collaborating with clients or remote teams. If you’re working with freelancers or partners, this one’s a must.

3. Slack – Communication Made Simple

Slack keeps conversations organised and accessible, whether you're chatting with your team or coordinating with collaborators. Set up dedicated channels for different projects, send direct messages, and integrate it with your favourite tools.

4. Wave – Accounting Without the Overwhelm

Wave is a free accounting platform that makes invoicing, expense tracking, and basic bookkeeping simple. It’s ideal for freelancers, creatives, and small business owners who want to stay on top of their finances without getting bogged down in spreadsheets.

5. Asana – Stay on Top of Every Project

Asana helps you map out tasks, assign responsibilities, and track timelines. It’s a great option if you’re juggling multiple projects or collaborating with a small team. The clean layout and custom views make it easy to adapt to your working style.

6. Canva - Design for Non-Designers

Canva is one of the most accessible design tools out there. Whether you're creating social media graphics, flyers, or branded documents, Canva’s templates make it easy to design like a pro—no design background needed.

7. LastPass - Secure Your Logins

LastPass is a password manager that keeps your accounts safe without the hassle of remembering dozens of passwords. You’ll only need to remember one master password, and LastPass takes care of the rest—great for keeping your business accounts protected.

8. Zoom - Connect from Anywhere

Zoom remains one of the most reliable video conferencing tools, perfect for client calls, virtual workshops, or team check-ins. With screen sharing, recording, and breakout rooms, it’s versatile enough to support everything from sales meetings to creative collaboration.

9. Hootsuite - Smarter Social Media Management

Hootsuite helps you schedule posts, monitor engagement, and manage multiple platforms from one place. It’s a huge time-saver for small businesses who want to maintain a consistent presence across Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and more.

10. Todoist - Stay Focused on What Matters

Todoist is a simple but powerful to-do list app that helps you organise tasks and prioritise your workload. Whether it’s a daily admin list or a project launch checklist, this tool helps you stay focused and in control.

Wrapping Up

Running a small business means wearing a lot of hats—but the right tools can take a lot of pressure off. These platforms are designed to simplify your systems, enhance collaboration, and help you focus on the work that matters most.


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Shira Bentley

Shira Bentley is a Sydney based illustrator and graphic designer with over 14 years of professional experience as a creative professional. Specialising in user experience driven design and visual communication, she uses her multi-disciplinary experience, technical expertise, and creative thinking to assist in the growth and development of organisations such as Google, Pfizer, Greenpeace, Transport for London, The London Journal and National Science Week.

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