Sometimes when you are a small business and you have only 2-3 team members you don’t want to spend a fortune on programs when you don’t know if they will be successful and adaptable. Did you know that 9 times out of 10 you can use a task list program/app such as Tick Tick, Asana or Wunderlist to take care of your project management requirements.
There was an article I read last year where one business actually used Wunderlist for everything from to do’s, communication and a CRM, they actually minimized sending emails to one another and used this program. Some might think that’s a bit too much but using it for Project Management it’s definitely doable.
Task list programs all tend to have similar features these days so it comes down to personal preference and what you think will work well for your business.
Here are my top 4 picks of to do list programs
Tick Tick
Cloud based
They do both a free version & pro version (pro version is only a couple of dollars a month & is worth it)
Available on Android, Android Tablet, Iphone, Ipad, Mac, Web
Calendar View Available (Pro Version)
Get reminders on your phone or PC
Share Lists/Folders
Subtasks available so you can break a project up into smaller parts
Add comments to tasks (shows date/time/person)
Add #tags
Assign tasks to team members
Turn emails into tasks with the Google Chrome Extension
Voice Input (speak to create tasks)
Wunderlist
Cloud based
Both free and pro versions available
Available on Mac, Android, Iphone, Android Tablet, Ipad, PC, Windows Phone, Chromebook
Get reminders on your phone or PC
Share lists/folders
Create subtasks
Add comments, #tags
Asana
Cloud Based
Free program
Available on Android and IOS
Assign tasks to team members
Organize into boards
Tasks and subtasks
Due dates and times
Add comments
Calendar View
Trello
Free
More of a board task list
Share with team members
Comment on tasks
Available on Android and PC
Take a look and you might find something that will work for your business and team helping you to simplify your process and get on top of your workload.
Are you just starting your Business and looking for a way to invoice your clients and track your expenses? You may or may not of heard of Wave Apps.
Wave Apps is a free cloud based accounting program that has many benefits and I find is the perfect solution for managing my invoices and expenses. Wave apps is available on PC however you can also get Wave Invoices so you can invoice on the go from your mobile device and Wave Receipts where you never have to worry about loosing a receipt again as you can just take a photo of your receipts which will then be uploaded to the PC version ready for reconciliation.
Features of Wave Apps
Invoice your clients
Mark payment against invoices
Track expenses & bills
Import your bank feeds for easy reconciliations
Import your PayPal transactions
Accept online Credit Card payments through Stripe integration
Produce Quotes
Easy reports including Profit & Loss, Sales by Customer, Income Statements, Expense Reports
Wave Accounting has both a Business & Personal side to it so you can even track and budget your personal expenses from the one program. It is definately a program that you should be considering especially if you are still using an Excel Spreadsheet.
If you’re interested in taking a look you can find more information on their website.
I’m just going to first start by saying I’m a Google lover. I use almost every product of theirs from Google Sheets, Docs, Calendar, Drive, Mail, Google+, Google My Business, anyway you get my point.
Have you heard of Google Hangouts? No?
This is such a valuable tool for not only businesses but for everyone. Below are some of the more useful things you can do with Hangouts, all you need is a Gmail account.
Useful Features
Have video calls with up to 9 other people
You can message people like you would on any other platform like Skype
Gives you an easy way to share photos, videos, location and also add some personality to your messages by using emoji’s and stickers.
Here’s a quick overview of what Google Hangouts looks like.
Google Hangouts just provides you with another free alternative for video conferencing and keeping in contact with your friends, family and clients. I hope you find it as useful and easy to use as I do.
If you’re someone that manages every aspect of your business right down to the admin it sounds like it’s time you look at outsourcing. You may be getting to the stage where you are trying to decide whether you should take an employee or finding another means to get some assistance; however there are a few things you need to consider before you do so.
1. Will you have enough work to keep someone employed?
2. Will your employee have set hours & days?
3. Are you prepared to pay tax, superannuation, insurance and other benefits for an employee?
4. Do you have an office space?
5. Is your office set up properly (e.g. computer, printer, and phone system)?
If you answered no to 2 or more above have you considered hiring a Virtual Assistant?
What’s a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistants are Business owners like yourself; we provide you with support, helping you manage different aspects of your business so you can continue to grow your clientele. We try to take some of the stress off your shoulders so you can gain back some precious time to your day so you can focus on what is important.
What tasks can a Virtual Assistant help me with?
In some ways this can be like asking how long is a piece of string. There are many types of VAs some specializing in Real Estate, Law, Web Design & Marketing and then you have your General VA. So what can you outsource to your VA.? Here’s a list that I’ve come up with the most popular tasks.
1. Social Media Creation & Management
2. Website Design
3. Blogging
4. Uploading blogs on WordPress
5. Marketing
6. Customer Service Support
7. Following up outstanding invoices
8. Transcription
9. Diary Management
10. Email Management
11. Booking Appointments
12. Online Research
13. Bookkeeping
14. Collating Business Cards and creating mailing lists
15. Holiday Cover
16. Email Newsletters
17. PowerPoint Presentations
18. Sourcing Quotes
19. Organizing transport and flights
20. Event Management
So what are the benefits of hiring a VA?
1. We’re on demand. We work when you have the work so you are not paying an employee to sit around with nothing to do.
2. Flexible Hours. Depending on your VA working hours vary and won’t only be limited to 9am – 5pm on weekdays, this is especially helpful if you have deadlines.
3. No obligation to pay benefits. As a VA is an independent contractor you are not obligated to pay benefits such as tax, superannuation, insurance, holiday pay and other benefits.
4. Save on overheads and equipment. A VA has their own equipment & an established office space so they can assist you remotely. If you run a home business you have peace of mind that someone is helping you manage your business without them being in your home.
How do you know whether you’re hiring the right VA?
There are a couple of Australian based Virtual Assistant networks that have actually taken some of the legwork out for you. If you see a badge on a VAs website that says they are Reference Checked that means that at least 3 previous clients of that VA have been contacted for feedback, the badge is given once all questions have been satisfied.
On top of a Reference Checked badge have a look at previous testimonials on their website and reviews on Facebook, this will at least give you a good starting point for finding your ideal VA.
How TLB Admin Support Can Help You
The majority of our services are offered remotely hence we are Virtual Assistants and they include General Administration, Creative Services like WordPress Websites and Animated Videos and Social Media; however we do offer onsite support to those businesses that need some help managing in-house tasks on a casual basis. If you would like to arrange an obligation free consultation or you are after more information please contact me at tammy@tlbadminsupport.com.au.
If you’ve read through the Useful Information page on my webstie you would have seen that I make mention of a program called TickTick. This is my go to app, I use it on my phone tablet and computer it keeps me organized from project management to my shopping list.
If this is something you want to have a look at more or you’re looking at getting started I’ve created a quick tutorial from creating your account to creating and sharing your first list.
