5 Apps No Business Woman Should Be Without

Confession: As much as I love technology, I’m far from a “true” techie. I still write my to-do lists with pen and paper. I love thumbing through magazines and books. And while texting is convenient, I enjoy talking on the phone with the folks I care about.

But there are certain applications and online services that I consider to be gifts from God. They make the life of an entrepreneur easier, especially when resources are limited and time is truly of the essence. Following are a few of the apps out there that (in my humble opinion) NO business woman should be without:

1. Mint.com: No matter how busy you are, you should always have a handle on the amount of money that’s coming in and out of your accounts. This lovely little app does all of the work of organizing and categorizing your spending for you. See where every dime goes and make money decisions you feel good about. It’s user-friendly and you guessed it…free!

2. Google Alert: As a PR professional and blogger, it’s important that I know what others are saying about my clients and about my personal brand. Every time someone writes a review, mentions your name or in my case, my client’s name, I’m immediately alerted by Google, without physically combing through every online magazine, blog, or industry publication. Staying informed and two steps ahead is priceless but in this case, the cost of knowing everything is absolutely nothing.

3. Fresh Books: This handy cloud accounting app manages makes managing invoices and keeping on top of payments a breeze. Need to keep track of client payments, outstanding invoices and profit/loss reports on the go? This is the best and most affordable app for you.

4. Scanner Pro: If you find yourself needing to reformat a JPEG into a PDF in a moment’s notice, please get your hands on this app immediately. Thanks to Scanner Pro, scanners (much like fax machines) are quickly becoming a tool of the past. I can’t tell you how many times this app has help me out in a pinch. Truly a must-have for brand builders on the go!

5. Evernote: If you want to stay organized, save notes and reminders for events or store those brilliant ideas that hit you in the middle of the night, Evernote is the answer. Are you always trying to keep track of payment authorization codes, passwords or new websites you want to check out? This is app helps you do so quickly and conveniently.