Tools that can help you grow your business
by Startacus Admin
P
atrick Collins, self starter and Founder of recent startup Timely Pa interviewed on Startacus last week (handy link to Startacus interview included here!) and after we put out a call for a new batch of startups to tell their startup tale on Startacus, we were chuffed to hear back from Patrick to say he would in fact be happy to write a weekly blog post on his startup journey.
'Journey' being the optimum word, as Patrick is currently having the best of both worlds by starting a business and travelling at the same time. So over to Patrick for week 1's blog post and a rather timely starting point with some pointers on the tools that can help you grow your business...
"In my experience I have often learned my most valuable lessons whilst travelling. The opportunities to integrate with different cultures, the people I meet and the experiences I encounter have helped to shape how I run a business and how it will evolve. Over the next 6 weeks I will be giving you an insight in to what it is like to set up a business remotely, having no funding, no startup cash and how to charge in one currency and live in another.
atrick Collins, self starter and Founder of recent startup Timely Pa interviewed on Startacus last week (handy link to Startacus interview included here!) and after we put out a call for a new batch of startups to tell their startup tale on Startacus, we were chuffed to hear back from Patrick to say he would in fact be happy to write a weekly blog post on his startup journey. 'Journey' being the optimum word, as Patrick is currently having the best of both worlds by starting a business and travelling at the same time. So over to Patrick for week 1's blog post and a rather timely starting point with some pointers on the tools that can help you grow your business...
"In my experience I have often learned my most valuable lessons whilst travelling. The opportunities to integrate with different cultures, the people I meet and the experiences I encounter have helped to shape how I run a business and how it will evolve. Over the next 6 weeks I will be giving you an insight in to what it is like to set up a business remotely, having no funding, no startup cash and how to charge in one currency and live in another.
I previously ran a property company, and the biggest learning curve during that time for me was that sustainability and slow organic growth is essential, and material goods mean nothing. A big office, a logo on your door, mac desktops, branded stationery - none of it means a thing apart from boosting your ego. Launching Timely Pa my mantra from the start has been to keep everything lean, if it doesn't fit in your backpack or if it is not online, then it is not part of the company. This is only achievable by having a very limited wardrobe, but more importantly by having very good systems set up from the start to run the business.
Working as a virtual pa for tech startup companies, I have been fortunate enough to be introduced to new businesses that hope to disrupt current day systems and ideas. Using these new companies I am able to run my company efficiently and cost effective, all whilst experiencing new countries on a weekly basis. The following are the tools that helped me and could help you to grow your business:
(1) Cyfe is the most important tool I have and I highly recommend this for any small businesses. Cyfe is a customised dashboard where you can monitor at a glance exactly how your business is running. This can be anything from site traffic, twitter mentions, paypal payments or customised google docs to show graphs of your data. I use Cyfe to run the business on a daily basis, if my graphs are not growing upwards and showing progression then it's a signal I need to change things. You can also create multiple dashboards where you clients can log in and see what work you are doing for them, which is a great tool for businesses that offer SEO or marketing.
(2) My Social Cloud This is another startup that simplifies my working process. If you use the same password for every log in, have passwords saved on word documents, or constantly forget your passwords, then this company will be a your saviour. Mysocialcloud is an online secure password database bank. Every time I create a new log into a site, my passwords are saved to msc. I never lose a password or log in and each password I have is generated to be secure. I also use this with my clients as I create a msc login for them where they can add their passwords to their accounts for me to log in, When the contract is finished the client simply removes my access to their msc account and there is no worries about shared access or passwords being public.
(3) Streak For any company starting up, it may feel that having a crm system is not essential, or you can use one when you have more customers. However using a crm as part of your business from the start will put you in the right routine , save you time and help build up a rapport with your clients. Streak is a new company that helps you create a crm system within your gmail account. It is very simple to use, very slick and it means you never lose track of who you have emailed, when you emailed them and what the correspondence was.
(4) Wunderlist I organise my weekly routine by breaking it down in to daily targets. I like to feel that I have achieved something new every day with the business and I like to tick boxes when I have completed a task. Wunderlist is an online to do list that is easy to use and creates a system of completing tasks in order every day. All of my clients use this and they simply create a new task, add to wunderlist and I am notified and work straight on the job.
All of these businesses are new and growing rapidly but are free to use at the moment. Using these startups I'm able to monitor everything in my business and continue to grow in a sustainable way.
Now that you have created your business , your systems are in place and your costs are at a minimum, you are ready to look for the business to grow. Next week I will be explaining how to get more business and increase sales whilst never physically meeting your clients.
You can follow Patrick Collins on Twitter - @timelypa
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free
You can follow Patrick Collins on Twitter - @timelypa
If you like what you see here on Startacus, why not become a member of our growing community? It's free! And you'll get all this - exclusive access to our Business Toolkit, discounts and offers galore for your business via our member only business deals, the chance to network and connect with loads of fellow self-starters, and maybe even become our celebrated 'Self-Starter of the Week' and tell the world your startup tale! Join right here for free
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Our Latest Features
Erika Eliasson-Norris, Founder and CEO of Beyond Governance shares insights on why investing in governance from the off is so important...
Aerospace Xelerated and Tawazun Economic Council seek applications from innovative startups that are working in the digital services and solutions area.
SeeAI is a Leeds-based startup that's on a mission to empower radiologists and help patients to get their medical imaging diagnosis within minutes.
The lowdown on Buckle, the US-based insurtech platform that's addressing the insurance needs of rideshare and delivery drivers.
Based in the UK or Ireland and got an innovative early-stage idea for the health sector? Validate that idea via the DigiHealth pre-accelerator - applications now open.
The lowdown on watchTowr, the startup that's on a mission to provide organisations with "continuous cyber security assurance aligned to the capabilities of today’s adversaries."
Fin Cope, CEO and Co-Founder of environmentally conscious marketplace GoEthical shares insights on the signs of greenwashing he looks out for to help avoid contributing to environmental harm.
Pet owners take note! GetSetPet is a startup on a mission to become the ultimate destination for your pet supplies.
Andrea Szell, Founder of Spare Desk shares some insights on the positive impact that sharing a workspace can have on our mental health.
.png)
The lowdown on Oxford Quantum Circuits, the innovative Reading-based startup that's on a mission to make quantum computing accessible to all.
Published on: 14th July 2013
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Aerospace Xelerated Opens Call for Startups Working on Digital Services and Solutions 15th Aug 2022 Aerospace Xelerated and Tawazun Economic Council seek applications from innovative startups that are working in the digital services and solutions area.
- DigiHealth Lean Launch Programme opens for applications 11th Aug 2022 Based in the UK or Ireland and got an innovative early-stage idea for the health sector? Validate that idea via the DigiHealth pre-accelerator - applications now open.
- Sodexo Live! And L Marks Seeking Startups and Scaleups for first ever North America Innovation Lab 5th Aug 2022 Sodexo Live! and L Marks open call for applications from innovative startups and scaleups to join their inaugural North America Innovation Lab.
- Innovative University-supported startups secure £500,000 in grant funding awards 4th Aug 2022 Startups founded by students and recent graduates from the University of Edinburgh secure SMART:SCOTLAND grants to help support their ambitious and innovative projects.
