What Technology Should Entrepreneurs Be Using While They Work From Home?

Working from home is no longer something that is new to us, but it’s something we are familiar with and can understand. There’s no surprises when working from home anymore and, in fact, we better know how to do it properly in order to be a contributing, effective professional, whether we are team members, freelancers, entrepreneurs, or business manager.

So, what technology is crucial to be using these days? In my opinion, the following categories are necessary to use an entrepreneur and should be researched. Alongside each category is a suggestion for the top tool to use when considering each sector.

I’m not saying you’ll need all of these tools or should use them. In fact, the use of too many tools can be distracting as well, which could lead to lower productivity levels.

So consider the following, choose the right ones for you, and benefit from them:

Writing Assistance: Grammarly

While not all of these tools are essential for working as a remote entrepreneur, I do believe that Grammarly is. In fact, I think all professionals should be using Grammarly because of its effectiveness and usability. I currently use Grammarly when writing emails, articles, client-facing documents, inner-office newsletters, and more.

In fact, I’m using Grammarly as I write this article!

Secure File Storage: Dropbox

File security is a major topic these days and is something you have to consider. Google Docs is a great platform for storing files, but it doesn’t offer the security that Dropbox does. I recommend this platform as a solution for storing, sharing, securing your company (and personal) files.

Project Management Platform: Asana

Finding the best project management platform for me was a huge moment. They can do so much and make things much easier for entrepreneurs and they companies they are running. With a project management platform like Asana, you can: track project status, update to-do lists, assign tasks to specific team members, and so much more.

Communication Tool: Slack

Communication is everything!

You can use your project management platform (like Asana) to communicate with team members, or you can use a specifically designed communication tool like Slack. Slack is the very best communication tool and has been for many years, so you really can’t go wrong with this one.

Password Manager: LastPass

When you use all of these tools, it can be difficult to remember all of your passwords and keep them safe. With a tool like LastPass, your passwords are securely stored and available to you whenever you need them. For me, this tool has been a huge asset!

Productivity and Engagement Measurement: Chimp or Champ

Chimp or Champ is a fun tool for entrepreneurs and remote teams to use.

This tool tracks employee happiness and provides you with a weekly anonymous employee happiness meter for you to check your team’s pulse, improve employee well-being and achieve better results. It’s extremely different from anything I’ve ever seen and can provide some very interesting insight for you to benefit from. Very interesting and worth checking out if you’re an entrepreneur who works remotely.

Time Tracking Software: Time Doctor

Time Doctor isn’t always necessary and, if you trust your team and want to create a happier remote workforce, then this tool might not be for you, but it is effective at times.

It can help you monitor the activity of your team members by logging keystrokes, screenshotting screens at random, and internet usage trackers. This tool will show you a bit about how your team spends their time.

I also must mention Clever Control, a smart employee monitoring software that was recommended by someone we talked with during the writing process of this article. With Clever Control, you can optimize teamwork from anywhere in the world with this cloud-based employee monitoring system.

Virtual Note-Taking Solution: Evernote

Evernote is a tool that I use and am a big fan of. We use it for virtual meetings and, as we talk, it turns our conversation into notes. After the call, we immediately have the notes from that call and can take from them what we need. Team members no longer have to take notes, remember things, and we don’t have to watch an entire call to remember what was said. Evernote has helped with this!

Thanks to the experts who provided these suggestions for each category, including Josh Levine from Private Market Labs and Julia Meyer of Clever Control.