Tools for the Mobile Entrepreneur

It’s important to be equipped if you’re running a business. However, an office full of expensive equipment does not a successful business make. Today I’ll write about some basic tools that I think are necessary to run a lean, mean, and efficient enterprise.

• A monthly/daily planner: I strongly recommend using a planner that includes “month at a glance” pages, as well as daily planning pages with a daily schedule, to do list, and a section for note taking. Franklin Covey is an excellent brand, and they have efficient planning systems that start around $70. There are a lot of planners that only feature “month at a glance” pages, but I think it’s absolutely negligent for a business owner to use these slimmed down versions… there’s simply no room to track your schedule, chart growth, or follow up on important tasks or to-do’s in a box that’s only an inch square.

• A top of the line communication device: There are some great mobile phones on the market right now. The best ones feature a full keyboard with email capability, internet access, and smart text messaging features. The days of trying to type messages by figuring out what number corresponds to the letter you want to use are past… it’s silly and ineffective. Having mobile access to your email and web allows you to be ultra-responsive to customer service issues and follow up quickly. The Sidekick phone, the Blackberry, and the Treo are all fantastic communication devices. I use a Sidekick by T-Mobile… and my Sidekick does backflips compared to new phones off the shelf. My phone has a toll-free number from RingCentral (review coming soon!), and I get email alerts when I receive new snail mail at Earth Class. All of my voice messages are transcribed by SimulScribe and emailed to me so that I never have to dial in to check them. I also get email alerts from Google when people use my name or web address on their pages.

• A business folder: Your folder should contain names, phone numbers, and email addresses of your business prospects and clients. You should also keep information about your business goals and anticipated growth in your folder, as well as relevant budget information and any other financial or business information that you might need to reference on short notice.

I believe that these three tools are critical to the mobile entrepreneur. Ultimately, you’ll want to automate your business so that it runs as efficiently as possible with as little interference from you as possible, but in the getting started stages, you should carry these things with you everywhere so that you’re ready to switch into high gear and drive your business towards massive growth.