#030 – Avoiding the Rabbit Trail of Selecting the Right Tools for Your Business

Today's episode is all about tools. Not like those tools my husband uses to work on our vehicles or house. No, let's talk about the tools we need as entrepreneurs. Tools are created to scratch an itch, so to speak. You start with a problem and someone creates a tool to help solve that problem. But here's the thing. There are a ton of tools out there to solve the same problem. How do you choose? The abundance of tools available that seem to do the exact same thing can lead us down rabbit trails of research and indecision. It doesn't have to be hard or complicated. When choosing tools to help you run your business, of course, you'll make your selection based on budget and ease of use. Sometimes you choose one tool simply to get you started. Then when you grow and expand, another system may fill your needs better. Ultimately, you don't want to have to do everything yourself forever. You want to scale your business and want things to be easier. Tools help get you there. The reason why there are so many tools available that do the same job is that all of our brains work differently. To one person, one system is easy peasy, and yet to another person, it's cumbersome. As virtual assistants, my team and I work with a lot of tools. We must be open minded and flexible. It's up to our client to choose what tools and systems they like using. It's up to us to achieve the outcomes they desire. Being exposed to so many tools gives me a big advantage when I put on my consulting hat. When I consult with clients as they navigate in organizing their processes, we discuss what they want to accomplish. I get to know them and make suggestions of tools based on what fits them best. Many times, my clients have chosen tools, but don't know where to start in using them effectively. They are at a loss. Today's episode dives right into the five categories of tools, you as an entrepreneur, need to fill. I illustrate examples of tools in each category. Sometimes the tool selection process slows people down because they are apprehensive in getting started with it. They may feel they aren't "techy" enough to figure it out. More often than not it's because you are too blasted busy to slow down and figure out what to use and how to use it. Not everyone is like me. I love learning new systems and seeing the similarities, differences, advantages and disadvantages. There is great value to have someone streamline your learning curve for you. There's value to getting personalized training that will cut to the chase and show you what you need to know and teach you the parts of how it works so you don't have to figure it out for yourself. If you believe that you aren't "techy" and feel at a loss as to being current with the stuff you need to know to increase your productivity and incorporate processes to scale your business, then I invite you to join me in the Accomplish More Academy. It's a community of small business owners just like you where you'll learn about some of the tools I've talked about this episode. The Accomplish More Academy is a place where we get down to the nitty gritty and learn where to get started with the practical subjects like social media, email marketing, CRMs, etc. and learn to use them and integrate them into your business so you can work more efficiently. More importantly, you'll gain the confidence about working with the most popular tools and be able to manage your time and create a winning team to grow your business. Hop over to accomplishmoreacademy.com to learn more and to see if it's right for you. Have confidence in your decision. Seek the help you need to arrive at your decision and implement. Make the decisions of what you want to use for your business based on your budget, your business size, and even your personal preference. Remember, there's no one system that does everything beautifully. But there are systems that do work well together. Don't get caught in the maze of rabbit holes when it comes to selecting the right tool for your business. If you do go down one of those rabbit holes, don't stay in there long and fall into the trap of indecision. It does take patience and persistence in learning a new system. And no tool works unless you use it.   Resources Mentioned: Accomplish More Academy Less Annoying CRM* Clinic Sense Quickbooks Google Calendar Google Voice Google Docs Google Drive eVoice Asana MailChimp Constant Contact InfusionSoft WordPress SquareSpace Microsoft Office Buffer Hootsuite *Referral Link