Coming to the end of the financial year can be a busy time for a lot of Small Business Owners, Sole Traders and Start-ups/Entrepreneurs.

How do I know this?

This year, more than ever, I have been juggling the work/life balance with a contract, my business, being a Mum, a #MicrosoftSMB Ambassador and a musical thrown in for good measure. I have found that my time is even more precious than usual, and I am implementing all the tools that I have advised my clients with in the past six months.

We are all strapped for time and wasting time, I have found, is often the biggest threat to our daily lives. So, here are my top five tools for Busy Business Owners. (These are also helpful to those who work in an office environment.)

Most of these apps are free or are low-cost.

File Management

1.  PDF Escape

Sometimes I just need to get files signed, text filled in and then the document sent off as soon as possible. If I am on a desktop, I just use this website to upload PDFs, write and add information, such as filling in text boxes - and then I export the PDF. Best of all, it’s free.

2.  ZamZar File Converter    

There is nothing worse than going to work with a file and realising that it’s not the file format you need it to be. Zamzar is great for converting one file format to another such as a .wmv file to a .MP4 (video file formats). It also creates image formats, audio formats plus many more (just check out their website to find out all the options).

3.  Convert PDF File Sizes   

A colleague shared this the other day in my TechMadeSimple FB group. This converts PDFs to different size formats - perfect when you need to UPSIZE from an A4 Poster to an A3 Poster format without it ruining your design.

Digital Productivity

4.  IFTTT

I have been talking about IFTTT (If this, then that) for three years now - not long after my business got started at Tech Coach HQ. Have you ever wanted to connect two pieces of software (or sometimes hardware) so that you get better workflow or a quicker outcome? This is exactly what IFTTT does… or otherwise known as ‘IF’. This is both a desktop and mobile version, where you can program or create ‘recipes’ between two apps. There is also another similar online tool called Zapier to connect these applications together. It simply has a ‘trigger’ and then an ‘action’. My most favourite use of this is using a product from Belkin (WeMo), which is just a plug that you can then plug into various appliances. Great for when you go on holiday and want the lights to go on at a particular time. This recipe states that when one WEMO 1 is switched on, then the other WEMO 2 is switched on as well.

5.  Grammarly

This is a recent addition to my #techtoolkit and to my clients’ as well. In fact, my husband insisted that it be downloaded to both my #SurfacePro4 and our other computer. This helps you with your grammar and spelling and it is a Chrome Extension. You can also upload files direct to Grammarly.com. The icons on the page are ‘red’ if there are errors and when it’s correct, the little ‘G’ icon goes green.

Thanks for reading my top five tools for Busy Business Owners – stay tuned for Part 2. Remember, it’s important for tech to be #BizTechFit!

You can connect with Megan Iemma at Tech Coach HQ, via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.