In this new territory we find ourselves in, the term Flattening the Curve has become not just a theory but an essential act.  For small businesses, who may not have had the time or capacity to set themselves up for virtual work as a team, this is going to require a ramp-up – FAST.  We wanted to provide some recommendations on platforms and tools that we have been using for quite a while, which allow us to seamlessly go to work-from-home.  Here are some that we recommend:

  • Teamwork or Basecamp: Project management platform that allows for file sharing, task assignment, and general collaboration across multiple users.
  • Dropbox or Google Drive: File sharing in a secure space, with back up being an added bonus.
  • Agora Pulse, Hootsuite: For social media content management and automated scheduling.
  • Mailchimp or Constant Contact: Web-based Email marketing platform.
  • Gotomeeting or Zoom: Web-based online meeting platform, allows for video, audio, and screen sharing for effective communications, even in your jammies.

What if you are a service professional but people don’t want to have you in their home?  Maybe the required service is fairly simple.  Facetime might allow you to talk them through something for a discounted fee, payable by Venmo or Paypal.  Or, you could film a tutorial on your phone, post to Youtube, and share a link. Think outside the box, and we can all get what we need.

Most of these provide a free trial period and are quite affordable from there.  Getting on board with some of these now will make it much easier to manage your business online in more positive circumstances, like from a beach house or impromptu family vacation.  Sometimes uncomfortable circumstances bring forth progress.  Get to it!