Essential Tools For Bootstrapping Entrepreneurs To Get The Most Out Of Tech Without Hiring A Developer

As a bootstrapping entrepreneur, you wear many hats and know that every penny counts. You are the CEO, sales team, marketing department, and often, IT person too. While it’s tough to be everything to everyone in your company, some essential tools can help you get the most out of technology without hiring a developer.

From project management to customer relationship management (CRM), these tools will help you streamline your processes, manage your time, and grow your business.

1. Project Management

As an entrepreneur, you’re constantly juggling multiple projects at once. It can be hard to keep track of everything from developing new products to managing customer relationships. That’s where project management tools come in.

Project management tools help you track progress on multiple projects, see who is working on what, and get an overview of your workflow. They can also assign tasks, set deadlines, and track milestones.

Some popular project management tools include Asana, Trello, ClickUp, and Basecamp.

Asana

Asana is a project management tool for tracking tasks, setting deadlines, and collaborating with team members. It is a great option for entrepreneurs who want to get an overview of their entire workflow.

Trello

Trello is another project management tool for tracking tasks, setting deadlines, and collaborating with team members. It is a great option for entrepreneurs who want a more visual way to manage their projects.

ClickUp (my favorite)

ClickUp is a project management tool and customer relationship management (CRM) system that tracks tasks, sets deadlines, and collaborates with team members. It is a great option for entrepreneurs who want a more customizable way to manage their projects.

Basecamp

Basecamp is another project management tool that helps users organize their work, communicate with team members, and stay on top of deadlines. Basecamp is an excellent option for entrepreneurs who want a simple way to manage their projects.

2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

If you sell products or services, you need a way to track your customers and their interactions with your company. That’s where customer relationship management (CRM) software comes in.

CRM software helps you manage customer data, track sales and marketing activities, and automate repetitive tasks. It’s an essential tool for any business that wants to scale its customer base.

Some popular CRM tools include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM.

ActiveCampaign has a built-in CRM with their Plus option.

3. Communication

As an entrepreneur, you must communicate effectively with your team, customers, and partners. That’s where communication tools come in.

Communication tools help you send messages, make calls, and share files with others. They can also schedule meetings, collaborate on projects, and stay up-to-date on the latest news.

Some popular communication tools include Slack, Zoom, and Google Meet.

Slack

Slack is a tool for communicating with your team. It can be used to send messages, make calls, and share files. Slack is a great option for entrepreneurs who need to stay in touch with their team.

Zoom

Zoom is a tool for communicating with your team. It can be used to make video calls, share screens, and record meetings. Zoom is a great option for entrepreneurs who need to meet with their teams face-to-face.

Google Meet

It is Google's version of Zoom. It's free, and you can start using it now.

4.  Email Marketing

If you want to grow your business, then you need to focus on marketing. Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and prospects. However, manually sending emails can be time-consuming. That’s where email marketing software comes in.

Email marketing software helps you automate email marketing campaigns, personalize your messages, and track results. It’s an essential tool for any business that wants to scale its customer base.

Some popular email marketing tools include MailChimp, ConvertKit, Constant Contact, MailerLite, and ActiveCampaign.

5. Website Builder

If you don’t have a website, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity to reach new customers. Website builders make it easy to create a professional-looking website, even if you don’t have any technical expertise.

You can use website builders to create a simple landing page or an entire ecommerce site. They come with built-in templates, drag-and-drop editors, and easy-to-use tools.

Some popular website builders include Wix, Squarespace, Weebly—Elementor, and Kadence for WordPress.

Figure out what kind of website you're trying to build before you commit fully. If you're a coach or consultant, all you need is a method to schedule a session, a system to get your clients their files, and, most importantly, a way to get compensated.

Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly are website builders that enable you to create professional-looking websites, even without technical expertise. All three come with built-in templates, drag-and-drop editors, and easy-to-use tools. They've come a long way, so check to see which works better for your business.

If you don't want to deal with the trouble of maintaining a website, I recommend that you start one of these.

WordPress

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that helps you create and manage your website. WordPress is an excellent option for entrepreneurs who want to build a professional-looking website without technical expertise*.

WordPress comes with built-in themes, plugins, and tools. It’s also easy to use, making it an excellent option for entrepreneurs who want to build websites.

*You can get by with the basics, but you'll need to learn how to code to utilize it fully. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of plugins, and that's a whole can of worms you might not want to deal with, which would defeat the purpose of not hiring a developer.

Shopify

Shopify is a platform that helps you create and manage your online store. It's a great option for entrepreneurs who want to sell products online without the hassle of building an online store from scratch. Shopify is easy to use and comes with all the features you need to run a successful online store.

Shopify is easy to set up and maintain. It provides a platform to create and manage your online store with little to no code. It has a drag-and-drop interface with plenty of free and paid themes. Shopify plays well with other apps and plugins. Out of the box, you can connect it to Facebook (which includes Instagram), Pinterest, Google Listings and Ads, and sales channels such as Amazon and eBay. It integrates with Squarespace, Wix (buy button only), and Weebly (buy button only).

6. Social Media Management

Social media is a powerful tool for marketing your business. However, managing all of your social media accounts can be time-consuming. That’s where social media management tools come in.

Social media management tools help you post content, track engagement, and measure results across your channels. They can save you time and help you better connect with your audience. They’re an essential tool for any business that wants to scale its social media presence.

Some popular social media management tools include Hootsuite, Buffer, CoSchedule, Later, and Sprout Social.

Buffer

Buffer is a tool that allows users to schedule and share social media content. This can be useful for entrepreneurs who want to make sure as many people are seeing their content as possible.

CoSchedule

CoSchedule is an all-in-one marketing calendar that helps you plan, publish, optimize, and measure your content. It also has a feature called ReQueue, which allows you to recycle your best content. This can be useful for entrepreneurs who want to ensure their content is seen by as many people as possible. There is a free alternative, but it may get pricey if you manage multiple brands/businesses.                                                         

Later

Later is a tool that helps users schedule and publish social media content. It also offers some additional features, such as the ability to create custom grids and collaborate with team members. Later is one of the few social media schedulers that can post carousels on Instagram and TikTok videos. As of May 2022, they have restructured their tiers, and their free option doesn't offer much, but it can help you get a feel for the app, which I find to be extremely user-friendly.

Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a tool for managing social media accounts. It also has additional features, such as the ability to track analytics, create reports, and collaborate with team members.

If you're on WordPress, you have other options too.

Blog2Social (my favorite)

Blog2Social allows you to automate social media sharing across numerous platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. It also enables you to automatically publish any other source's text, images, links, and videos as social media posts. Blog2Social offers a variety of options for accelerating and simplifying your social media strategy and a wide range of customization options. You can start with a free 30-day trial, which gives you access to premium capabilities.

Revive Social (Revive Old Posts)

You may use the Revive Social/Revive Old Posts plugin to help you automate your social media posts. Their free option lets you put your blog posts in a queue the app selects. You have the option of excluding posts and pages (paid). It lets you automatically share your WordPress material on Facebook, Instagram Business, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Google My Business & VKontakte. Unfortunately, it appears that Pinterest is not supported. If you're just getting started, I recommend this one. The design is simple and easy to understand.

WP Social Sharing

WP Social Sharing is a WordPress plugin that allows you to add social sharing buttons to your website or blog. WP Social Sharing supports all major social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. The plugin is easy to use and comes with several customization options. WP Social Sharing is a free plugin with a premium version with more features and customization options.

7. Tools for Automating Tasks

Connect your favorite apps and services to automate repetitive tasks without touching a piece of code. Apps like Uncanny Automator, Zapier, IFTTT, and Make (formerly known as Integromat) can automate tasks like adding contacts to your CRM or posting new blog articles to social media.

Uncanny Automator

A tool like Uncanny Automator can unlock functionality if you run a WordPress site. It's like Zapier for WordPress. Pair it with WP Fusion, and now you're cooking with grease!

Zapier

Zapier is a tool that allows users to connect to different online services and automate tasks. For example, a user could create a “zap” that would automatically post new blog articles to their Twitter feed.

IFTTT

IFTTT is another tool for automating tasks. However, it works differently than Zapier. With IFTTT, users create “recipes” triggered by certain events. For example, a user could create a recipe that would text them whenever their favorite team scores a goal. It isn't as feature-rich as Zapier or Make (formerly called Integromat).

Make (Integromat)

Make (formerly known as Integromat) is a tool that allows users to automate tasks by connecting different online services. For example, a user could use Make to automatically add new leads from a CRM to a mailing list. The integrations aren't as extensive as those provided by Zapier, but the price is right!

Conclusion

As you can see, bootstrapping entrepreneurs can use many essential tools to get the most out of tech without hiring a developer. These tools can help you automate tasks, manage your social media accounts, create professional-looking designs, track customer data, and more.

With these tools, you can automate tasks, engage with your audience, and track your progress—all without breaking the bank.

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