7 Tools You Need to Start a Business as a Student

So, you decided to venture into this uncharted territory – starting your first business. It’s not going to be an easy feat, of course. For one, you’ll have to juggle studies, entrepreneurship, and your social life.

The good news is, there are tons of tools to help you succeed at that. They’re meant to optimize certain processes, thus saving you time and energy. So, if you choose – and use – them right, they’ll be of great help.

But you might feel like there are just too many of them. Well, you’re not alone in that. That’s why this list is here – hopefully, it’ll be a great starting point for your search.

But First: 3 Things You Should Know About Running a Business

Ultimately, choosing any particular tool isn’t the utmost important decision you make. Whether your business takes off or not mostly depends on your business plan.

But before you write one, here are 3 truths about entrepreneurship you should know:

• It takes time. A lot of it. The reality is, you need to put in the work – and it’s going to be a full-time job, at best. So, prepare for it. You can choose to invest in cheap paper help by WritePaper to reduce your academic workload, for example. And you’ll have to learn to say “no” to a lot of stuff, too.
• It’s neither glamorous nor easy. Running a business means long hours, no weekends – and oftentimes, exhaustion. Plus, it’ll be a long while before you turn a profit. Are you ready for this kind of challenge?
• You will make mistakes. It’s inevitable. What matters is how well – and how fast – you’ll learn from them. (Spoiler alert: that’s the best way to become a pro entrepreneur.)

And Now: 7 Irreplaceable Tools for Entrepreneurial Students

Those truths didn’t manage to spook you? You’re a tough cookie, then – and great entrepreneur material. Here are 7 tools that’ll be instrumental in overcoming any challenge.

1. Trello

• Is it free? Yes, with paid plans available, too.
• What’s it for? Internal project and task management.

Getting organized and making sure no task is overdue or forgotten is vital for a business in its infancy. This is where project management tools come in – and Trello is an unbeatable champion in their midst.

Need alternatives? Here are 4 of them:

• Asana;
• Notion;
• Evernote;
• Basecamp.

2. Google Workspace (Former GSuite)

• Is it free? Yes, with paid plans available, too.
• What’s it for? Cloud storage and online collaboration.

This next entry on the list doesn’t need any introduction. You probably already use Google Docs and Google Drive, at the very least.

Google Workspace is irreplaceable for your business operations, too. With it, you can store and share your business plan, visuals, and anything else effortlessly. Plus, there’s no need to tell you how convenient collaborating in a Google Doc or Spreadsheet is.

Need alternatives? Here are three of them, and if these aren’t enough, powerful email unifier applications from companies like EdisonMail provide powerful organizational tools capable of tracking and managing emails across a variety of email platforms.

3. Buffer

• Is it free? Yes, but the free version is somewhat limited (paid plans are available, too).
• What’s it for? Social media management.

Today, having a social media account matters more than having a website. But managing them can be overwhelming since you have to be active on multiple platforms at once. But if you use Hootsuite or Hootsuite alternatives you wont be in stress anymore.

Buffer can help you optimize your SMM efforts by scheduling posts across all of them from the same dashboard. Plus, you can gather all of your social media analytics in one place, too!

Need alternatives? Here are 3 of them:

• Hootsuite;
• HubSpot;
• Sprout Social.

4. Mailchimp

• Is it free? Yes, but the free version is somewhat limited (paid plans are available, too).
• What’s it for? Email marketing.

Email campaigns are on par with social media channels when it comes to marketing. But to ace it, you need a great tool – and Mailchimp happens to be one.

First of all, its email builder makes designing a great newsletter irresistibly easy. Plus, you can automate some of your marketing efforts and create whole email campaigns.

Need alternatives? Here are 3 of them:

• AWeber;
• Active Campaign;
• Moosend.

5. Wave

• Is it free? Yes.
• What’s it for? Invoicing and accounting (these are two separate apps).

Accounting and invoicing are the least exciting parts of running a business, but there’s no way around it. What you can do is minimize your struggle with it – and Wave can help you with that.

It has everything you need in one package. You can connect your bank account, balance your books, prepare tax reports, and more.

Need alternatives? Here are 3 of them:

• Xero;
• Freshbooks;
• Zoho Books.

6. Wix

• Is it free? No, paid plans for businesses start at $23 per month.
• What’s it for? Creating a website.

Although a website isn’t 100% necessary for starting a business, having one will still add credibility to your venture. The good news is, you can DIY it with platforms like Wix.

They have plenty of themes and plugins to choose from. Plus, Wix’s drag-and-drop builder is intuitive in use – and you won’t have to write a single line of code in the process.

Need alternatives? Here are 3 of them:

• WordPress;
• SquareSpace;
• Shopify (eCommerce only).

7. HubSpot CRM

• Is it free? Yes, with premium features available.
• What’s it for? Customer relationship management.

Not sure if you need a CRM? Well, any business is as good as its customer service. A CRM helps you keep track of all the contacts and sales pipelines to ace it. Plus, this one also has in-built live chat, meeting scheduling, and more!

Need alternatives? Here are 3 of them:

• Bigin by Zoho;
• Freshworks;
• Less Annoying CRM.

In Conclusion ─ How to Choose the Right Tool

How can you know that this tool is going to be the one for this or that task – in your particular situation? The answer is simple: take time to trial the tool. That’s the best way to know if it fits your needs and preferences.

At the end of the day, however, a tool is just that – a tool. It’s only as good as how you use it. It can’t guarantee your success – but it can get in its way if you waste your time on it. So, keep your toolbox minimalistic. Don’t hesitate to reshuffle it until you reach maximum productivity.