Small business tools can help you avoid being one of the many businesses that closedown within their first year.
Running a small business is no small task. A typical example of small but mighty; the business may be small, but the work required is huge and arguably more demanding than running a large enterprise.
As a founder myself, I know how hectic it can be. To be successful, you have to wear many hats and learn many arts (crafts). Many people give up on seeing what it takes, it’s no surprise that “over 5 out of 10 businesses close within a year of starting operations”, according to a report by Moniepoint.
Thankfully, there are small business tools that can help you start, manage, run, and scale your small business to the heights you imagined when you set out to become a founder. They’re not a silver bullet magically taking away all the hard work required to successfully run a business, but they can drastically reduce the chaos that running a small business can be.
So today, I will show you the top 10 small business tools that can help skyrocket your business to new heights. Whether you’re running a one-man show as a solopreneur/freelancer, or managing a close-knit team and trying to grow, this is for you.
Key Insights
Technology boosts survival and growth: Using digital tools helps Nigerian small businesses overcome skill gaps, reduce failure rates, and scale more effectively.
- Prioritize effectiveness, efficiency, and exceptionality: Tools enable business owners to work smarter, deliver better quality, and stay ahead of competitors.
- Choose tools based on business needs: Identify your most time-consuming and non-core tasks, then pick tools that simplify or automate them.
- Avoid costly tool-related mistakes: Don’t chase trendy tools or overcommit financially—always test and ensure they add real value to your business.
What are Small Business Tools
Small business tools are software, platforms, apps, and websites that help small businesses function effectively. Whether it’s marketing, customer support, accounting, management, product/service delivery, or design and branding, there’s a tool that can help you do it better, faster, easier, and in a more organised way.
Why you need the right small business tools for your business
I can think of three reasons you need the right tools for your small business. Effectiveness, efficiency, and exceptionality.
Small business tools make you effective
Effectiveness is all about getting the job done. Before starting your small business, you may have been good at one thing or a handful of things. For example, Jane realised that she could make great cakes and pastries, so she decided to start a cake and pastries business. But before long, she realised that there are other things she needs to do if she wants to succeed as a small business owner. She needs to do marketing, design, customer support, accounting, etc.
That leaves her with three options.
- Learn how to do all of them and handle everything herself.
- Hire people to do them.
- Find tools to help her.
The first is mission impossible, the second costs lots of money (maybe too much for a small business owner), leaving her with the third option of finding small business tools that can help her do the job.
With small business tools, Jane can create designs for her business, make reels and videos, do her marketing, accounting, and customer support without losing her mind.
Small business tools make you efficient
While effectiveness is about getting the job done, efficiency is about doing the job faster with minimal resources.
If you’re dealing with less than 10 customers a day you may not see the need for efficiency. But as your small business grows, efficiency becomes important. How do you reply to inquiries and comments while serving customers who have already paid for your product/service, all while juggling marketing and content creation, knowing that there are only 24 hours in a day, out of which you’d still need to sleep?
Using tools, you can reduce the time it takes you to do all those tasks, keeping time and energy commitment within manageable levels.
Small business tools help you become exceptional
To grow your business and stay ahead of your competitors, you need tools. Although you may run your business manually during the early days, using pen and paper for everything, you’ll need to incorporate powerful and timesaving tools into your business if you want to compete against other hard working business owners in your industry.
These tools will help you stay organised, track activities, monitor progress, and identify opportunities faster.
They can also help you serve customers better, keeping them satisfied.
There’s always room for improvement, and there are tools out there that can help your business implement the necessary changes to make it exceptional.
Top 10 Small Business Tools to Use in 2025
Here’s a list of top 10 small business tools you need in 2025.
1. Canva
Canva is a graphic design tool that helps you create good designs in minutes. With the rise of social media, every business needs, at the very least, basic design skills to create social media posts, carousels, stories, ebooks, and other visual design elements.
Thankfully, with Canva, you don’t need to spend weeks to months learning how to do graphic design. There are templates you can simply edit and customise to reflect your brand.
It’s no surprise that over 200 million people use Canva worldwide.
With Canva, you can scratch graphic design off your worries as a small business owner.
2. Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a collection of tools that are essential for any business in 2025. It includes Gmail, Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms, Meet, and lots more.
a) Google Drive
Helps you store files online so you can access them anywhere, anytime, from any device. You no longer have to worry about losing the book or paper that contains your business plan, contacts, etc. Your PC or phone may crash, yet your documents, spreadsheets, photos, receipts and invoices, content, etc will still sit safe in Google Drive. The best part is that you can access all your files using any internet enabled device.
b) Google Docs
is used to create and store word documents online. From business plans to articles, contracts, grant applications, etc. You can easily collaborate with other people anywhere in the world on the same document.
c) Google Sheets
is an online spreadsheet (like Excel). Just like docs, you can collaborate with other people across the globe on the same file.
You can use sheets to store customer and sales data, manage projects, workflows, and basic accounting.
3. WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business is a messaging app tailored to business owners. Unlike regular WhatsApp, it has tools and analytics to help you showcase your products/services, connect with customers, run ads, and sell, all in WhatsApp.
Combining WhatsApp Business with a chatbot can turn it into a customer support and sales agent that works in your absence.
4. Chatbots
Chatbots reply and send messages to customers in your absence. There are different chatbots for various social media and messaging platforms.
For example, ManyChat is an Instagram chatbot that can save you hours. Instead of spending your whole day on social media replying to customer queries, sending links to your product or sales page, you can set up a chat bot to do it for you.
Autoresponder for WA is a chatbot for WhatsApp.
5. CapCut
CapCut enables you to create high quality videos for social media. Videos have become an integral part of social media content and businesses can’t shy away from it.
With CapCut’s AI video generator, you don’t have an excuse for not creating video content. Other alternatives to CapCut include AI video generators like Invideo and Simplified.
Simplified is like a combination of Canva, CapCut, and Invideo all in one platform.
6. Social Media Management Tools
You may have noticed that many of the tools listed so far are geared towards social media. That’s because social media is one of the most used marketing channels for small business owners.
Social media management tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, and Zoho Social help you manage many social media accounts from one platform.
You can post instantly, schedule posts days ahead, and engage with your audience across Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, and a handful of other social media sites, all within one platform.
With a social media management tool, you no longer need to juggle between apps.
7. ChatGPT
AI has taken the world by storm. Almost every app out there is adding AI features to its solutions. ChatGPT is the foremost general purpose AI. You can use it as your virtual assistant.
Some things ChatGPT can help you do include.
- Plan events
- Organize your schedule
- Brainstorm ideas
- Create social media content
- Generate images
- Write articles
- Research
- Answer questions
8. Kit
Kit is an email marketing platform. If your business is one that involves building an email list and sending regular emails to customers, then you’d benefit from Kit. You can set up email sequences, so new subscribers receive a series of emails from you, without you needing to send it to each new person every single time.
Kit has features that show you how many of your subscribers opened your emails, which links they clicked on, and you can discover the best time to post or promote your products.
9. Selar
Selar is a simple online store builder where you can sell your products. It was initially designed for digital products, but has been expanded to accommodate physical products. If you’d like to sell even in your absence, without sending your account number to new customers every single time, Selar is the easiest way to go.
10. Calendly
If you operate a consulting business and usually have to schedule calls or meetings, Calendly is one of the best tools for you.
Instead of asking clients “when will you be free?”, “When can we meet?” or other time wasting questions, you can simply set up a Calendly page and send them your link. They’ll see the times you’re free and choose one that aligns with their schedule. No back and forths.
How to Choose the Right Tools for Your Business
I’ve only given you a tip of the iceberg above. There are thousands of small business tools out there, with various alternatives. The question then is, how do you choose the right tools for your business?
First, you need to realise that your business wasn’t made for tools, the tools were made for your businesss. That means you don’t need to jump on every new or popular tool just for the sake of it.
Here’s a five step process for identifying the right tools for your business.
1. List everything you do daily/weekly/monthly
What does your typical day/week/month as a small business owner look like? List everything.
From waking up, to creating content, taking orders, sending DMs to potential customers, posting on social media, replying to comments, delivering products or services, sending thank you/appreciation messages, setting up ads, monitoring analytics, etc.
List everything you do.
2. Give each task a number based on importance
Assign a number to each task from 0 to 100. The most important things should have higher numbers around 80 to 100, while least important tasks should have numbers around 10 to 20.
3. Rearrange the tasks according to importance
The most important tasks should come to the top of your list, while the least important should go to the end.
4. Identify high importance tasks that consume your time
Any task of high importance outside your core business/service delivery that takes more than 20 to 30 minutes of your time needs a tool.
For example, if you’re a cook. Your major work is cooking. If you’re a photographer, your core business is capturing and editing pictures. That’s what you should spend more time doing.
Everything else that helps you reach customers and run your business effectively like booking, taking orders, social media content creation, and accounting needs to be automated or handled by tools that make it easier and faster.
5. Find the right tool
Now that you have a list of important tasks you shouldn’t be spending much time on, find a tool that does just that.
Believe it or not, there’s a tool for almost anything your business needs to do. If you’re facing a problem in your business, there’s a high chance someone else has gone through it and provided a solution.
All it takes is a simple Google search e.g. “software to do x”, “tool to do y”, “how to do z faster.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Business Tools
Choosing fancy tools over effectiveness
If working with a tool is taking more time and energy than working without it, there’s no point wasting time on it.
Remember that tools are made to serve your business, not the other way round.
Sunk cost fallacy
If you’re about to get a paid tool, check out the free trial, and first get a monthly plan before going all in on a yearly plan.
That way you get to see its premium features at work and finalise whether or not it’s worth the price.
Else you could be stuck with a tool that’s a thorn in your flesh.
Cutting costs on non-negotiable tools
Between spending $5000 to make $10,000 and spending $2,000 to make $4,000 which would you choose?
The first option right?
But oftentimes, small business owners make decisions that are akin to the second option. By cutting costs on essential business tools that can make them effective, efficient, and exceptional, they stifle their business growth and earning potential.
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