Being an entrepreneur is a 24/7 business especially if you are just starting out. Passion and drive would take you only so far. Having a grasp of basic tech hacks, however, could go a long way to help take your small business to the next level. Here are a few hacks you can employ to run an effective startup.

Office Suite

Microsoft Word will help you create proposals, resumes, basic discount coupons, etc. Excel has templates for invoices and payroll. You can create simple videos with PowerPoint. You don’t need to know every function in each application, but a firm grasp of the basics would go a long way. Sometimes, just knowing the endless possibilities of mundane office applications is enough to spur you to use them.

Social Media

With more than 2 billion people on social media, social media marketing, which is an element of web engagement is key to the success of your business as an entrepreneur. With the many options available, it can be a rabbit hole trying to pick which one to follow.

Start by creating buyer personas to know which platforms your potential clients use. Then, use apps to manage your social platforms vibrantly to engage your audience on the platforms they use often. For your web engagement to be successful, it is important to be consistent and to use high-quality content. If your budget can support it, it works better when you outsource your web engagement to a speciality organisation because full-blown digital marketing requires good web engineering, copywriting, SEO and design skills with an ample dose of dedicated attention to be effective. That said, where there are budgetary constraints you can definitely get some action going in the digital space by sticking with a manageable number of social platforms and a carefully laid out plan.

Outsource

As a startup, your budget may be low and your know-how limited. You might be an expert in designing the best clothes but may be limited in creating enticing images to post on social media. Rather than spend a lot of money to hire a full-time marketer or accountant, you should consider outsourcing to speciality companies to work for you on an as-needed basis. You get the benefit of senior managers in the hired organisations supervising work you may not have the capacity to supervise yet. You also benefit from economies of scale. You would be sharing the cost of human capital with other business customers like you.

Cloud

The cloud is everywhere, literally. The cloud can be used for computing and for storage. When you run computer systems/software in the cloud, it’s called cloud computing. When you store data that just stays at rest in the cloud, its called cloud storage. Both cloud storage and cloud computing allow you to access your data wherever you are in the world. For example, it is easier to access your customer relations management (CRM) system anywhere you are in the world when it is running on the cloud. You would be using cloud computing in this case. Cloud computing gives you the convenience of running your business from every location in the world with internet connection. You can edit a customer’s quotation right from the customer’s office and close the deal quicker amongst other things if you have business systems running in the cloud.

So long as you have access to the internet, cloud storage can help you get access to your archived information as and when you need them. Being able to back up your data to the cloud protects you against data loss that could result from system failure, natural disasters or even cyber threats.

Many free cloud storage options exist for very small needs. Although they have their limitations, services like Google drive and One Note, only require an email registration. If your business requires large storage, Gesatech’s Data Protection Cloud service will help you maintain a good balance between physical storage and cloud technology for efficiency and for disaster recovery.

Antivirus

Whether you use a computer for work or for personal purposes, it needs endpoint protection to keep you safe in the cyber world. For your business computers, this is a non-negotiable. Not having antivirus and antimalware software protecting your devices puts you at risk of cyber attacks that can result in data loss and data theft. Not only can a loss of customer data drag you back in dollars and man-hours, but the security breach could also affect your reputation and earn you untold lawsuits, killing your young business before it even started. Investing in functional antivirus and antimalware software should be a priority before you start using any PC. The same applies to your smartphone. McAfee Endpoint Protection and Kaspersky Endpoint Security are good commercial products that keep your devices safe from cyber threats. Remember, when it comes to cybersecurity, you really do get what you pay for. A security solution that costs you nothing today, may very well end up costing you everything tomorrow. Even on a low budget, somethings should not be compromised.