Launching a business today is easier than it has ever been. Of course, just the fact that you can launch a business doesn’t mean that you will be successful, and there is still a lot of hard work to put in, but the fact is that becoming a business owner is much more accessible to many more people than ever before.
Part of this – a major part, in fact, is down to the advancements in technology that have come about. These advancements mean that you don’t have to have business premises, you don’t have to spend a fortune on equipment and computers, and you don’t have to have any particular technical knowledge. All you need, apart from a will to succeed and an understanding of the basic principles of business, is a cell phone. Or, more specifically, a smartphone. With this one item, you can essentially run an entire business. Read on to find out more.
Office Apps
Apps are everything these days, and they are why using a smartphone is such a great way to run a business. Most of the time, when you think of apps, you’ll think of social media or games or apps that make your personal life easier or more enjoyable. However, there are plenty of apps you can use that will help you run a business. Think about the kinds of things you would need on your laptop if you were using it to work – programs such as Word or Excel, an invoicing program, marketing information, and much more. These and so much more are available as apps.
This means that once you download what you need, you can do anything using just your phone. You can email and call, of course, you can post to social media, but more than this, you can write letters and blog posts, you can create spreadsheets, you can make videos to use in your digital marketing, you can invoice people when you’re on the go. Search for what you need, and there will be various apps that will match your requirements. Why not download more than one and use them all to find out which one you’re happiest with?
Use Virtual Assistants
Whatever kind of phone you have, you will have some kind of virtual assistant linked to it. Most of the time, these are voice-activated, and some of the names you are probably familiar with are Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, for example. There are others too, so you can research the ones you like the best, and that will offer you all the tools you need.
By making good use of these virtual assistants, you can send emails, make phone calls, fill up your diary (and be notified when something is due), set reminders, and much more. In this way, your business will run smoothly, and you will gain a good reputation for reliability and great customer service.
The only downside to this is that if you were to lose your phone, or if it were stolen, not only would you have a problem running your business, but there would be the potential for a lot of sensitive information to fall into the wrong hands. One way to overcome this issue is to add tracking to your phone. This is not a complicated procedure, and you can even install it without jailbreak, so you can ensure that all your employees and even family members can benefit from this technology too. When you have this tech on your phone, you’ll be able to find it no matter where it is.
Know When To Switch Off
If you can run your business from a smartphone, something that can so easily be slipped into a pocket or purse and taken with you wherever you go, you can do so much. You can be much more productive than if you were tied to a desk at an office, and not only would your business thrive and grow, but your work-life balance would be much better too. That’s because you could spend time with your family and friends or enjoy your hobbies knowing that, should you need to, you can use your phone to do business at the same time.
However, although this might seem like a positive thing, and in many ways, it is, there must be a time when you switch off, literally and figuratively. Turning off your cell phone after a certain time of the evening so that you don’t fall into the trap of working too much and burning out is crucial. If you still need your cell for your personal life, invest in two phones – one for business and one for fun.
Take Your Business Truly Remote
Being a business owner means you have the luxury of dictating when and where tasks are completed. You’re the ultimate project manager, and you’re the one all decisions have to be run past. And with that level of control on your side, you’re going to need a level of flexibility to balance it all out.
Which is why it’s key to think about taking your business as remote as you need it to be. Gone are the days where you had to sit in front of a desk to update a web page or write a new blog post – now you can do it straight from your phone! And to ensure you’ve got the most reliable form of mobile connection, no matter where you are, it’s a good idea to upgrade to 5G, visit compare5g.com, and then see what the coverage is like in and around your area.