10 Must-Have Apps and Tools to Streamline Your Small Business in 2025

Running a small business often feels like juggling a dozen priorities at once—but with the right tools, you can streamline your operations, save time, and increase profits. At The Katz Connection, our mission is to help small and mid-size businesses reach the next level through expert advice and actionable strategies. Founded by Susan Katz, a marketing and business strategy veteran with over 30 years of experience in analytics, brand development, and operational efficiency, The Katz Connection is here to simplify the complexities of growing your business. Below, we’ve rounded up 10 must-have apps and tools that every small business owner should consider using in 2025.

1. Project Management:

A good project management tool keeps your team organized, deadlines visible, and priorities clear, but it’s only as good as the people who use it. Keeping track of projects and tasks can be time consuming, but well worth it in the long run. These three project management tools simplify the process and make it easy for teams to update their tasks and communicate effectively.

• Trello: Perfect for visual thinkers, Trello uses drag-and-drop boards to organize tasks into lists like “To-Do,” “In Progress,” and “Completed.”

• Asana: Offers advanced task tracking, timeline views, and integration with Google Workspace for businesses that need a more structured approach.

• Monday.com: A great alternative for teams needing a highly customizable interface, ideal for managing more complex workflows.

Pro Tip: Use templates and checklists for repetitive workflows like product launches or social media campaigns to save time.

2. Accounting and Finances:

Keeping your finances in order is essential for small business success. Stay in the habit of closing out the months and keeping track of expenses vs. budget and cash flow.

• QuickBooks Online: Industry-standard software for tracking income and expenses, sending invoices, and preparing taxes. It integrates with your bank accounts and provides a real-time dashboard.

• Wave: A free alternative for small businesses with basic accounting needs, including invoicing and receipt scanning.

• FreshBooks: Ideal for service-based businesses and freelancers with its time tracking and invoicing features.

Pro Tip: Link your accounting tool with your eCommerce platform to automatically track sales and expenses.

3. Graphic Design:

Your business doesn’t need a full-time designer when tools like these exist.

• Canva: An intuitive platform offering templates for everything from social media posts to presentations. With drag-and-drop functionality, anyone can create professional designs.

• Adobe Express: Offers similar features to Canva but with more robust editing tools for those familiar with Adobe products.

• Creative Fabrica: Offers many affordable fonts, graphics and digital assets perfect for branding, product designs, or enhancing marketing materials. With inexpensive subscription plans, you can gain access to thousands of ready to use designs.

Pro Tip: Save brand colors, fonts, and logos in Canva’s Brand Kit feature to maintain a consistent look across all marketing materials.

4. Communication:

Clear and efficient communication is the backbone of any successful business. Whether you're collaborating with your team, engaging with customers, or managing external vendors, the right tools can streamline your interactions and help you stay organized. Modern communication platforms go far beyond basic emails or phone calls—they enable real-time conversations, video conferencing, and seamless collaboration from anywhere in the world. For small and mid-sized businesses, these tools are essential for maintaining productivity, building strong relationships, and staying responsive in today’s fast-paced environment. Choosing the right communication platform can simplify your workflows and ensure that nothing gets lost in translation.

• Slack: Organize discussions into channels (e.g., “Marketing” or “Operations”), share files, and integrate with tools like Trello or Google Drive.

• Microsoft Teams: Combines chat, video calls, and file sharing—perfect if you’re already using Microsoft Office.

• Google Chat: If you are already using Google Workspace, which is another great tool for businesses, Google Chat may work for you. It seamlessly integrates with the rest of workspace and is a simple and effective way to collaborate with your teams.

Pro Tip: Set up an “urgent” channel for real-time issues to avoid unnecessary interruptions in other chats.

5. E-Commerce Platforms:

Your ecommerce platform is the backbone of your online business. Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Squarespace all provide robust options depending on your needs, offering tools for managing inventory, processing payments, and building a professional-looking website.

• Shopify: Known for its user-friendly setup, extensive app marketplace, and excellent dropshipping integrations like Oberlo. Expect to have to add many third party apps to your website which will increase the overall cost.

• BigCommerce: Great for scaling businesses with a larger inventory and advanced SEO tools. Big Commerce also has a good selection of third party apps. It’s very reliable but more limited in design.

• SquareSpace: Best for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution with stunning, professional website designs. It’s easy to use, making it perfect for beginners and service-based businesses venturing into eCommerce.

• WooCommerce: A WordPress plugin for those who prefer building their store on an existing WordPress website.

Pro Tip: Beyond choosing the right platform, make sure your site is optimized for mobile users. Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is growing rapidly, with over half of all online purchases happening on smartphones. Test your website’s responsiveness on mobile devices, ensure quick load times, and simplify the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment rates. A seamless mobile experience can dramatically increase conversions and customer satisfaction.

6. Social Media Management:

Social media is one of the most powerful tools for building brand awareness, driving traffic, and connecting with your audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and LinkedIn offer opportunities to showcase your products or services, share your story, and engage with customers in meaningful ways. But managing multiple social media accounts can feel overwhelming without the right tools. Each option has its own quirks so find one that works for you.

• Later: Great for visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, Later helps you plan and schedule your posts with an easy drag-and-drop calendar. It also offers hashtag suggestions and analytics to optimize your strategy.

• Hootsuite: For those managing multiple platforms, Hootsuite allows you to schedule, monitor, and analyze content across platforms from a single dashboard.

• Buffer: A user-friendly option for scheduling posts, Buffer provides simplified analytics to track performance and adjust your strategy.

• Canva's Content Planner: If you already use Canva for design, their Content Planner feature allows you to design, schedule, and publish posts directly from their platform.

Pro Tip: Schedule posts during peak engagement times (e.g., mornings and evenings) for maximum reach.

7. Email Marketing:

Email marketing remains one of the most effective and affordable ways to nurture customer relationships, drive sales, and grow your business. Unlike social media platforms, where algorithms determine who sees your content, email gives you direct access to your audience’s inbox. Whether you’re announcing a sale, sharing a new blog post, or nurturing leads, email marketing allows you to connect on a personal level while delivering measurable ROI.

• Mailchimp: A great starting point for beginners, Mailchimp offers user-friendly templates, automation options, and analytics to track campaign performance. It also integrates with platforms like Shopify and Squarespace.

• Klaviyo: Designed for ecommerce businesses, Klaviyo provides advanced segmentation, email personalization, and detailed analytics, making it ideal for driving sales and improving customer retention.

• ConvertKit: Perfect for content creators, bloggers, and small businesses, ConvertKit focuses on email automation and is known for its clean, simple interface.

• Constant Contact: A reliable option for small to mid-sized businesses, Constant Contact offers email templates, event management, and list-building tools.

• ActiveCampaign: Ideal for businesses ready to scale, ActiveCampaign combines email marketing with powerful automation and CRM tools for managing customer journeys.

Pro Tip: Segment Your Audience. Not all subscribers are the same. Segment your list based on behavior (e.g., recent purchases, abandoned carts), demographics, or interests to ensure each email resonates with its audience.

8. Automation:

Automation can transform how you interact with your customers, ensuring quick responses and consistent service, even during busy times. For small businesses, automating customer support is an easy way to enhance the customer experience while saving valuable time.

• Zendesk: A powerful platform for customer support, Zendesk allows you to create automated workflows, such as answering FAQs, prioritizing tickets, and following up with customers after interactions.

• Tidio: An intuitive and budget-friendly option, Tidio offers chatbot features to handle common queries, collect leads, and provide real-time support. It’s perfect for ecommerce businesses looking to offer 24/7 assistance.

• Simplified: A versatile tool that combines marketing and customer service automation. Simplified’s AI-powered chatbot can answer customer questions, provide recommendations, and even help generate leads. It’s a great option for businesses looking for a streamlined, all-in-one solution.

Pro Tip: Set up a chatbot to answer common questions about your shipping policies, return process, or product details. For more complex inquiries, the system can automatically forward the query to you or your team. After a purchase, use automated follow-ups to ask for reviews, provide tips for product use, or offer discounts for future purchases.

By leveraging customer support automation, you ensure customers feel heard and valued—even if you’re not personally online to assist them.

9. Customer Relationship Management (CRM):

Building and nurturing customer relationships is easier with a CRM. A CRM system allows you to manage customer data, track interactions, monitor sales pipelines, and streamline communication—all in one place. They are very helpful for businesses that rely on personal sales interations.

• HubSpot: Offers free CRM features, plus paid tools for email marketing, sales automation, and reporting. The free version is pretty robust and can definitely get you started.

• Zoho CRM: Affordable and highly customizable, great for small businesses with diverse needs.

• Pipedrive: A simple-to-use CRM focused on tracking sales pipelines.

Pro Tip: Use your CRM to segment your audience based on behavior, such as frequent buyers or first-time customers, for more personalized communication.

10. Productivity and Notes:

Running a business—big or small—requires keeping track of a million details, from brainstorming ideas to managing daily tasks. Notes and productivity tools act as your second brain, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. Whether you’re jotting down a creative idea for a new product, organizing your daily to-do list, or planning out an entire marketing campaign, these tools help you stay on top of everything and maintain focus. For small and mid-sized businesses, having the right tools can mean the difference between feeling overwhelmed and being on top of your game.

• Notion: An excellent choice for businesses seeking a customizable all-in-one solution. This highly flexible platform allows users to combine notes, databases, calendars, and project management into one seamless workflow. Whether you’re planning marketing campaigns or keeping team schedules on track, Notion adapts to your specific needs, making it a favorite for solopreneurs and small teams alike.

• Evernote: Ideal for capturing ideas and notes in a centralized, cloud-based environment. Its ability to sync across devices makes it perfect for entrepreneurs who are constantly researching, brainstorming, or managing multiple projects. You can even clip articles or web pages for inspiration.

• Goodnotes: For those who prefer the feel of handwritten notes, GoodNotes is a standout option. Designed for tablets and smartphones, GoodNotes replicates the experience of a digital notebook, making it easy to write, sketch, or annotate PDFs. It’s particularly useful for creative professionals who thrive on visually organizing their thoughts or sketching out designs.

• Microsoft To Do: A fantastic choice for managing daily and recurring tasks. This simple yet powerful tool helps you create task lists, set reminders, and prioritize goals. Its clean interface and ability to sync across devices make it a great choice for business owners who value structure and simplicity in their task management.

• Google Keep: A quick and user-friendly way to jot down ideas and create color-coded to-do lists. With its seamless integration into the Google ecosystem, it’s a great tool for organizing your thoughts on the go or managing smaller tasks with ease.

Pro Tip: Don’t rely on just one tool—build a productivity system that fits your workflow. For example, you might use Notion or Evernote to store long-term plans, research, and marketing strategies, while pairing it with Microsoft To Do or Google Keep to manage daily tasks and short-term goals. By creating a system that combines your favorite tools, you’ll have everything you need to stay organized and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Final Tips for Choosing the Right Tools

• Start Small: Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying all these tools at once. Pick a few based on your immediate needs.

• Look for Integrations: Many of these tools work better together (e.g., integrating Slack with Trello or QuickBooks with Shopify).

• Use Free Trials: Test out free versions before committing to paid plans to ensure the tool fits your workflow.

By leveraging these types of tools, you’ll spend less time managing the day-to-day and more time focusing on growing your business. Which of these tools will you try first?