Apps can make running your small business while on the go much, much easier. If you’re running an indie small business, like Donna and I are with Crochetville, it’s even more important to find the apps that make getting things done as easy as possible for you.
There are now so many apps available for your iPhone or iPad, that it can be quite difficult to find exactly what you need, especially when you’re not sure which app you actually need. We thought you might find it helpful to know the apps we use most frequently and why they meet our small business needs.
We’ll be focusing on iOS apps since we each have both an iPad and an iPhone. Some of these apps may have Android-based equivalents, but unfortunately, we know nothing about the Android Marketplace.
This document is a work in progress. We’ll be adding links and descriptions for the various apps as we have time.
Do You Have a Favorite App?
Leave a comment and tell us all about your favorite apps (iOS or Android).
Social Media:
Facebook:
HootSuite
Books/Magazines:
Book Crawler: Create a database of all your crochet books. It’s as easy as scanning the bar code with your phone or tablet’s camera. Save yourself the aggravation of buying the same book twice. You can keep track of digital and physical books.
iBooks
Kindle
OverDrive
Zinio
Document Management:
Dropbox: Store documents in the “cloud” so they are accessible from any of your devices wherever you may be. You can even share documents and/or folder with others. Limited free storage space, and you can purchase more space. Price: FREE.
GoodReader: With GoodReader on your iPad/iPhone, you can read virtually anything, anywhere: books, movies, maps, pictures. Read PDF documents and Microsfot Office documents. Use it once and you’ll be hooked. You can even add notes to PDF files: no more need for sticky notes on patterns! PRICE: iPad version $4.99; iPhone/iTouch version: $4.99
iPDF
Dragon Dictation: I don’t use this very often, but it’s a wonderful app for turning a voice recording into a text document.
QuickOffice Pro
Adobe Reader
Financial:
Square: This program is what we use to process payments at trade shows. The app and the card reader are free. You simply pay a 2.75% fee per credit card swipe, with no fees for check or cash transactions. No merchant account or setup fees involved! You do need to have internet access for the app to work. The Square Register app works just like a cash register. I can’t say enough about how much we love this little app. Charges are process in batches and money is deposited into your account the same or next business day
Paypal: We use Paypal to process all of our online payments. We’ve found it’s the easiest, cheapest option available that easily integrates with the software we use.
QR Code Generators:
Scan
Qrafter
QRReader: Now scans both QR codes and barcodes. Fast and effective. App opens instantly in real-time scanning mode. Generate your own QR code. Price: FREE.
Photos and Images:
iFlickr HD
PS Express
PhotoshopCreative
Time Management:
HoursTracker: This little app is perfect for keeping track of the hours (down to the minute) you spend working on various billable projects. You can evenly set an hourly rate for each task, and it will calculate your earnings for you.
TaskMatrix
Travel:
TripIt: I love this app. I can forward all my travel reservation confirmation emails to my account and they auto-magically appear in a trip. You can add all your meetings, events, dinner plans, and any other activity as well. You’ll know where you’ll need to be at the touch of a button. You can even email your trip plans to family members and co-workers so you won’t be interrupted in the middle of an important meeting.
SimplyPack
FlightAware
Expedia
TripAdvisor
Weather:
The Weather Channel
Weather Radio