Canadian entrepreneurship has seen significant changes in the past few years through increased tech adoption - and in our mobile-centric, on-the-go society it makes absolute sense.
The number of Canadian small businesses with an online presence is up 28 per cent, equalling 1 in 3.
Data from Intuit’s Small Business App Study has provided new information about how small business owners in Canada run their businesses.
Their report states that 55
In conjunction with this, the number of Canadian small businesses with brick and mortar hubs has also decreased. With a drop of 20
Smartphones,
This means that running a business from a mobile device is now a completely viable option for both businesses big and small, revolutionizing the way they get things done.
Theoretically, a smartphone can fill in for paper and pen, enabling you to contribute to meetings without even being there. Furthermore, thanks to cloud services, almost anything can be downloaded straight into your hands.
As the app economy grows, small business owners are starting to rely on them to run their businesses efficiently. Here’s how you can use to organize,connect and run your business successfully from a mobile:
Email is a key communication method of businesses, linking networks, customers,
When composing an email on a mobile it's often difficult to complete a message without switching between apps. For example, you may be writing a response and have to stop and switch application to look at your calendar, contacts, or find a photo.
This app switching often results in a poorly drafted email which takes longer than it should and decreases your productivity. Apps like Acompli streamline the
Teamwork
Collaborative information managers are becoming a trusted team working solution and managing your staff without actually seeing them has never been easier.
Dubbed ‘teamwork without email’ Asana puts conversations and tasks together,
File Storage
With services like Dropbox and Google Drive, you can sync files across different mobile platforms. Google Drive acts as a full cloud drive it enables you to store any file via virtual drive apps and any web interface.
Conference calls
You no longer need to be physically present at meetings and conferences; apps like Skype can now create virtual boardrooms.
Whether it’s one to one or in a group, you can now make calls, schedule meetings and collaborate with anyone from pretty much anywhere (given there’s a good internet connection).
Presenting
Presentation software Prezi allows you to create presentations from the tablet app. You can then access them, share them and view others from your smartphone.
The presentations may not have the same impact on your phone as they would on a projector, but you can still show them, share them and practice for the big day wherever you are.
Expenses
Expense reports are one of the most tedious and
Allowing you to scan receipts with your phone, finance management apps like Expensify are perfect for the on-the-go business owner. The app enables the business owner to keep track of their expenses and mileage and automatically creates a report from the scanned receipt.
Users can even file receipts by the trip and then submit the expense reports directly to the employer – making it easier for everyone involved.
Taking payments
The app allows you to monitor all payments (cash, card and online), record refunds and keep a log of your sales history through sales reports.
It also allows you to build up an inventory and export your stock levels to any device when you need them.
Doing business on the go requires the right tools and if you have loaded up these innovative time (and money!) saving apps, your mobile device can easily become a portable office.
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