Essential SaaS (software as a service) tools to help you build a successful business
Essential SaaS (software as a service) tools to help you build a successful business
There are a lot of incredible software as a service (SaaS) tools that can make your life as a founder much easier. Below we're going to outline our seven favorite SaaS tools for startups. Our team has used all of these products, and we recommend the ones we prefer. It's easy to get started with Saas products but can be expensive to switch, so do your own research to determine which products are best for your type of business.
Do you know that feeling of trying to keep track of all of your notes, documents, and to-do lists from different meetings? It doesn't take long to start feeling disorganized and out of control. Not to mention the challenge of making sure that everyone is working off of the same to-do list and has access to the same information. This is where project management software revolutionizes team collaboration. It basically works like a giant to-do list that everyone on your team shares. It can be organized in lots of different ways based on your priorities and allows you to leave comments and have conversations about each project. You can also share and store files within each project. If your team is more than one person, you need to consider implementing a project management tool.
Monday.com — StackDeck favorite
Asana
Much of the world still runs on email, but there's no denying that email is highly inefficient. How do you make sure that everyone working on a project has access to the same information? Currently, most companies and teams use team communication software that allows their communication to function more seamlessly than traditional email. Like a text thread, communication can be organized around groups of people and can happen instantaneously. You can also hop into a video or audio call in the app. These new tools have revolutionized the way that teams collaborate. If you work with a small group then chances are you already use one of these tools. If not, it's time to start.
Slack — StackDeck favorite
Google Chat
Microsoft Teams
Discord
You likely have experienced at least once the pain of sending files back and forth, asking, "Is this the latest version?" Shared cloud storage is accessible to everyone, and it's very inexpensive. The best part about cloud storage is that you can edit and modify documents in real-time without downloading or sending files back and forth. Currently, Google and Microsoft offer cloud suites that include shared spreadsheets, documents, presentations, and much more. Dropbox allows you to edit Google and Microsoft docs in their cloud storage, E-sign, and much more.
G-Suite – StackDeck favorite
Microsoft 365
Dropbox
Somehow email is still one of the most valuable marketing channels for most businesses. These days, a periodic newsletter is no longer enough. Most companies that do any form of online selling have integrated more robust email marketing into their marketing plan. These tools allow you to automate certain emails based on customer or user behavior. The simplest example is when somebody makes a purchase they should be sent a follow-up email from someone on your team thanking them for their purchase. That's a very simple automation; however, they can get very complex and integrate deeply into your site or app as needed.
We don't have a favorite here because it depends on your needs. The design template they give you to choose from are a big deal and could save your team a lot of time and money. It's worth testing the designer and automation process for several of these before committing.
Active Campaign — A budget-friendly option with a light CRM (customer relationship management).
Flodesk — Great for highly designed lifestyle emails.
Hubspot — Expensive, but the CRM and email marketing are on the same platform
Mailchimp - Been around a long time and is straightforward to use.
Sendinblue - Email marketing plus CRM
.
Most startup founders seem to despise accounting. It's boring and takes a lot of time, and very creative types of people don't always do very well with keeping on top of spreadsheets and payroll. But, setting up an accounting software from day one really isn't an option. You have to do it, and later you will be so glad you did. Find a good bookkeeper that can review and organize your books on a quarterly basis and make sure your business accounts and credit cards are connected to track expenses. Creating, sending, and even automating invoices is a very helpful tool. When contractors submit invoices, add them to your accounting system and approve them to generate a direct deposit or send a check on the desired date. Your employee payroll can be automated as well. As you grow, you will need to get bookkeepers and accountants more involved, but in the early days, just make sure you have someone checking your work.
Quickbooks — The best option we have found. It's worth considering Freshbooks and Wave as well.
CRMs are the lifeblood of any sales and customer service organization. At its heart, a CRM is a place to store all the information about everyone your company engages with for leads, sales, and support. If you need to keep track of multiple customers and prospects, then it's crazy not to begin using one of these tools. You can take many different routes depending on your company's specific needs. Email marketing is deeply integrated into CRM usage because most customer communication is still sent through email. These systems will allow your sales team and customer support team to update client and prospect status in the system manually, and by doing so, they can automatically trigger email automations. Look into the right tool for your company's needs. The initial choice is a big decision for most companies since it is harder to change later once your team is up and running on a specific program.
Side Note: Just because a specific CRM or email marketing tool doesn't have certain functions it doesn't mean that you can't achieve that same functionality through a native integration or by using a tool like Zapier. There are a lot of different ways to connect Saas tools that offer the functionality you need.
Hubspot — Great all-in-one CRM
Salesforce - Also a great all-in-one CRM
Active Campaign — Limited CRM functionality but enough for some businesses
Pipedrive - This is one our team is planning to try, and you should consider.
Essential SaaS (software as a service) tools to help you build a successful business
Essential SaaS (software as a service) tools to help you build a successful business
There are a lot of incredible software as a service (SaaS) tools that can make your life as a founder much easier. Below we're going to outline our seven favorite SaaS tools for startups. Our team has used all of these products, and we recommend the ones we prefer. It's easy to get started with Saas products but can be expensive to switch, so do your own research to determine which products are best for your type of business.
Do you know that feeling of trying to keep track of all of your notes, documents, and to-do lists from different meetings? It doesn't take long to start feeling disorganized and out of control. Not to mention the challenge of making sure that everyone is working off of the same to-do list and has access to the same information. This is where project management software revolutionizes team collaboration. It basically works like a giant to-do list that everyone on your team shares. It can be organized in lots of different ways based on your priorities and allows you to leave comments and have conversations about each project. You can also share and store files within each project. If your team is more than one person, you need to consider implementing a project management tool.
Monday.com — StackDeck favorite
Asana
Much of the world still runs on email, but there's no denying that email is highly inefficient. How do you make sure that everyone working on a project has access to the same information? Currently, most companies and teams use team communication software that allows their communication to function more seamlessly than traditional email. Like a text thread, communication can be organized around groups of people and can happen instantaneously. You can also hop into a video or audio call in the app. These new tools have revolutionized the way that teams collaborate. If you work with a small group then chances are you already use one of these tools. If not, it's time to start.
Slack — StackDeck favorite
Google Chat
Microsoft Teams
Discord
You likely have experienced at least once the pain of sending files back and forth, asking, "Is this the latest version?" Shared cloud storage is accessible to everyone, and it's very inexpensive. The best part about cloud storage is that you can edit and modify documents in real-time without downloading or sending files back and forth. Currently, Google and Microsoft offer cloud suites that include shared spreadsheets, documents, presentations, and much more. Dropbox allows you to edit Google and Microsoft docs in their cloud storage, E-sign, and much more.
G-Suite – StackDeck favorite
Microsoft 365
Dropbox
Somehow email is still one of the most valuable marketing channels for most businesses. These days, a periodic newsletter is no longer enough. Most companies that do any form of online selling have integrated more robust email marketing into their marketing plan. These tools allow you to automate certain emails based on customer or user behavior. The simplest example is when somebody makes a purchase they should be sent a follow-up email from someone on your team thanking them for their purchase. That's a very simple automation; however, they can get very complex and integrate deeply into your site or app as needed.
We don't have a favorite here because it depends on your needs. The design template they give you to choose from are a big deal and could save your team a lot of time and money. It's worth testing the designer and automation process for several of these before committing.
Active Campaign — A budget-friendly option with a light CRM (customer relationship management).
Flodesk — Great for highly designed lifestyle emails.
Hubspot — Expensive, but the CRM and email marketing are on the same platform
Mailchimp - Been around a long time and is straightforward to use.
Sendinblue - Email marketing plus CRM
.
Most startup founders seem to despise accounting. It's boring and takes a lot of time, and very creative types of people don't always do very well with keeping on top of spreadsheets and payroll. But, setting up an accounting software from day one really isn't an option. You have to do it, and later you will be so glad you did. Find a good bookkeeper that can review and organize your books on a quarterly basis and make sure your business accounts and credit cards are connected to track expenses. Creating, sending, and even automating invoices is a very helpful tool. When contractors submit invoices, add them to your accounting system and approve them to generate a direct deposit or send a check on the desired date. Your employee payroll can be automated as well. As you grow, you will need to get bookkeepers and accountants more involved, but in the early days, just make sure you have someone checking your work.
Quickbooks — The best option we have found. It's worth considering Freshbooks and Wave as well.
CRMs are the lifeblood of any sales and customer service organization. At its heart, a CRM is a place to store all the information about everyone your company engages with for leads, sales, and support. If you need to keep track of multiple customers and prospects, then it's crazy not to begin using one of these tools. You can take many different routes depending on your company's specific needs. Email marketing is deeply integrated into CRM usage because most customer communication is still sent through email. These systems will allow your sales team and customer support team to update client and prospect status in the system manually, and by doing so, they can automatically trigger email automations. Look into the right tool for your company's needs. The initial choice is a big decision for most companies since it is harder to change later once your team is up and running on a specific program.
Side Note: Just because a specific CRM or email marketing tool doesn't have certain functions it doesn't mean that you can't achieve that same functionality through a native integration or by using a tool like Zapier. There are a lot of different ways to connect Saas tools that offer the functionality you need.
Hubspot — Great all-in-one CRM
Salesforce - Also a great all-in-one CRM
Active Campaign — Limited CRM functionality but enough for some businesses
Pipedrive - This is one our team is planning to try, and you should consider.
StacDek helps companies design strategies that drive long-term growth.