Last Thursday, I had a chance to visit MaGIC in Cyberjaya. It was a pleasure and I had a great experience learning about startups and social entrepreneurs. I must say that I was completely clueless about anything related to startups and social entrepreneurs before. All I knew about startups was that they consist of a small group of people who turn creative ideas into innovation—and that was it.
I also had a chance to attend one of the workshops at MaGIC that discussed about useful tools to manage a startup. The speakers, Hakim Albasrawy and Sky Chew (very cool speakers) from Makespace explained how these cool startup tools could make things easier for newer startup companies and help them to be more productive.
First of all, initiating a startup company is not as simple as some might think. It requires capital, expertise, research in the field and motivation. However, with the right knowledge and tools, many new entrepreneurs and rising companies can make an attempt to quicken their expansion. It is important to be able to make use of a variety of resources when trying to build up a fresh company.
So here are 7 startup tools that new startup companies can find useful to help strengthen their position when first starting out.
1. Google Docs
This word processor offers tips and tricks that can make every startup to be more productive and practical. Google Docs lets people share and collaborate to get work done easier. It allows people on multiple computers to work on the same text file, so a person can write something from their computer, and it’ll be in one color, and somebody elsewhere can also type something out and it’ll be a different color so we know who wrote what.
In a way, it allows people to collaborate way easier because different people can work on the same document together at the same time. On top of that, it also offers free 15GB of cloud storage to store documents, photos, recordings, and mostly anything.
2. Domain Search
Leandomainsearch helps any startup company find a great name for its domain. One of the most distinguishing characteristics about this website is the selection of 5000 words it offers for choice, and the option to sort names according to popularity.
After picking a name they are satisfied with, companies can register domain names and create a blog on WordPress, with options available from free to $50 per year, depending on which selection was made.
3. Creative Logo
Every startup company needs an official logo to inculcate its credibility and to help look more established and professional. Logos help customers remember a company by more than just its name, and can help establish trust as more and more people come to recognise its image.
Creative Market can help make it easier for the startup company to generate its logo. They offer a variety of graphics, templates, fonts as well as themes so anyone can customise their image and make it fit their preferences. The prices range from about $35 to $40 USD. However, there are cheaper rates available at $2 to $6, though imaginably, companies might have more limited features from which they can make their selection.
4. Grammar Checker
Grammarly and Hemingwayapp are two great websites that can help check grammar and spelling, and correct complex sentences and common writing errors. Grammarly is useful for checking spelling and grammar errors, and offers more aid in finding mistakes than typical spellcheckers in common word processors.
Hemingwayapp, on the other hand, helps to create clearer and smoother writing by highlighting common errors and complex sentences, which can help a writer makes short, succinct sentences.
It is paramount to have everything proofread before it is released into the market. Copywriting must be perfect because if a single word is misplaced or missing, a company risks losing its credibility and customers’ trust. Therefore, it is important to demonstrate impeccable wordsmanship before marketing.
5. Easy Printing
Colourman offers a convenient online shop for printing. Located in Kepong, this company lets customers place orders online, and prepares the order once it has been placed and processed. All that is necessary to use the website is to become a member, get a quote, submit the order, and the prints will be delivered to any specified location.
This can be very convenient for a startup company as it can help save money on transportation, as well as the time it would take to go back and forth to receive the final product.
6. Landing Page
After the media print is ready, the next step is creating a landing page to offer potential customers the opportunity to peruse what services the company can perform. Landing pages are also important to improve marketing as they can help intrigue people.
One such website, Unbounce, can be used to create an interesting landing page. Fast and highly customisable, this landing page builder can help any company create a powerful tool to boost sales and marketing.
One of the most attractive features about Unbounce is their flexibility. There are no setup fees, no obligations to a long-term contract, and the option to cancel or change a plan is always present.
There is a free trial available for 30 days before any purchase is necessary. The website also offers the option to sign up for free to explore more features before making a final decision.
7. Google Spreadsheet
Google Sheets functions similarly to Google Docs in that different users can work on the same spreadsheet at the same time without the need to be present together in the same room. It offers features such as diverse and colourful but also simple ways to present data, as well as helpful tools such as predetermined formulas, pivot tables and other formatting options for efficient work.
In addition, there are a variety of templates available from which one can find a starting point to create anything from budget and schedule spreadsheets to simple graphs and data tables.
In conclusion, though it may be difficult and complicated at many times to initiate a startup company, there are still many ways to help boost image and credibility in order to help a growing company expand further.
With expertise and the right resources, such as the various tools outlined in this article, new entrepreneurs can utilise such elements to their advantage in building up their companies.
With that in mind, it is important to know what tools are at one’s disposal when making important decisions about a company, whether the objective is to build a new company from the ground up, or to improve on a rising company’s image and marketing reach.