Running a small business is a constant logistical juggle. From making sure your employees get paid to shipping deliveries out on time, there’s never a shortage of details to manage. These apps are designed to simplify your responsibilities, keep all the moving parts on track, and make your to-do list less of a monster.
Shyp
Free
Whether shipping is a large or small part of your business, Shyp makes the whole process a thousand times easier. Simply download the app, snap a photo of the item(s) you want to ship, enter their destination, and request a pickup. Shyp will send a courier to get your item(s) within 15 minutes (seriously!), pack them up, and send them out to anywhere in the world, always via the lowest cost and most reliable shipping option. You can Shyp anything from documents to furniture – for the latter, they’ll send a truck. They even insure, and bubble wrap. Right now, the app is available in New York, San Francisco, and Miami, but they’re expanding quickly, and you can sign up to be notified when it launches in your city.
Expensify
$5-$9 per user per month
Keeping track of employee expenses can be a bear. Expensify works to streamline the process of reporting, approving, and exporting expense information. Download the app and create reports for each area of expense. Then, whenever you’re ready to add an expense, open the app and snap a photo of your receipt. Expensify’s technology automatically reads the receipt and adds the amount, so there’s no need for manual entry. Mileage, time, and other billable expenses can also be logged in-app, and you can even have Expensify automatically import credit card transactions from your business card.
Pushover
$4.99 after 5-day trial
Pushover aggregates all of your messages, emails, and notifications on your phone for easy access and organization. Just download the app, and add applications like Gmail using your Pushover User Key (here is a list of compatible apps, plugins, and websites). Once the application has been added, every notification it sends you will show up in one streamlined Pushover timeline. You’ll never have to dig through your message/email apps for that important receipt or meeting invite again.
Zen Payroll
$25 +$4 per employee per month
This app allows you to not only automate your payroll system, but also monitors your employee tax documents, among other features. Create an account, then have your employees create custom accounts with their information. Then enable the Autopilot feature and let the app do the work. Employees will always receive their pay on time, along with pay stubs sent via email showing the money trail (bonuses, reimbursements, vacation days, etc.). Zen Payroll also automatically reports new hires to the government, while generating and sending 1099 forms to any contractors that you may need to pay.
Mynd
Free (basic version)
Never be late to a meeting again! Mynd is a “smart calendar” that not only keeps you aware of your appointments and responsibilities, but also provides you with helpful information for each appointment, to ensure you get there seamlessly. The app syncs with iCal and other apps to make sure you’re prepared in every way possible, including looking up the LinkedIn profile for the job candidate you’re about to meet with, to sending “When To Leave” meeting alerts based on the current traffic patterns and weather. It’s like having an automated personal assistant at your side.
Pramata
Fee Varies
Managing and organizing contracts is both time consuming and expensive, particularly if lawyers are involved. Many contracts are full of complicated business terms and phrases, not to mention all those addendums, side agreements, and exceptions. Pramata not only stores all your important contracts in a centralized space in the cloud, but also analyzes them and sends you a comprehensive data report — in other words, it sifts through all the contract-speak and translates the important parts. Simply visit the website and plug in your information to get going. Pramata’s technology promises to help you manage risk and increase efficiency, without having to hire a team of lawyers.