The road to being an entrepreneur is long and tough but it doesn’t have to be if you know where your endpoint is. Some people come out and become an entrepreneur because they are tired of climbing the corporate ladder while others become an entrepreneur simply because they want to be of service to others.
Whatever the reasons for becoming an entrepreneur, the modern entrepreneur must have the knowledge and ability to harness the power of modern technology to run their business.
With modern technology, you can own a mobile virtual office for just less than SGD$10 a month and not worry about paying unnecessary recurring monthly rents for an office space which can amount to the thousands; thus keeping your operating costs really low.
In this article, I will be sharing with you 5 tips on how Google can help you run your business in the most cost-efficient and time-saving way.
Tip #1: Using the G Suite
The G Suite is a set of cloud computing, productivity, and collaboration tools, software and products developed by Google Cloud. As an entrepreneur myself, I use Google Office Suite to create documents such as contracts, presentation decks, and financial reports. What I really like about the G Suite is that I can access my files anytime, anywhere and it is entirely web-based. What this essentially means is that as long as I have access to the Internet, I can pretty much get my work done while on the move.
Tip #2: Gmail for Business
You don’t necessarily need to have an email address that ends with @gmail.com to use Gmail. Even if you already have an existing web domain name for your business, you can still use Gmail to send and receive emails.
There are many features that I like about using Gmail but one which really stands out for me is the “Smart Compose” feature that really saves me time when composing an email reply.
Tip #3: Google Calendar
If you’re often on the move and travelling for business, Google Calendar can help you manage your schedule more efficiently. I personally use it to keep track of my appointments and to remind me of important occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. One of the features that I like about Google Calendar is that it works in tandem with Google Maps where I am being sent a reminder to leave for my next appointment and estimates the time for travelling to my next meeting location.
Tip #4: Google Drive for Business
Google Drive is a Gamechanger and I absolutely love it because it is highly functional and it allows for the ease of collaboration with others. With Google Drive, I can easily backup and store all my files in the cloud or share them with others.
Furthermore, the documents, presentation decks, and spreadsheets that I create are saved directly onto my Google Drive and it saves me the hassle of having to bring any additional storage devices around.
Tip #5: Google Photos
Google Photos is a rather nifty service that is part of what the G Suite offers. As I travel a lot for both work and leisure; I do take lots of photos on my phone and that can be a real problem because there are just so many photos to store and organise. With Google Photos, I don’t have to worry about running out of storage space because it gives users free, unlimited storage for photos up to 16 megapixels.
What’s more?
You can store unlimited videos as long as they are below 1080p resolution. Just so you know, Google Photos also uses Google’s image-analysis technology to organise the photos and videos that are uploaded; thus, making them easier to search, share and even edit
Overall, if you’re looking for an affordable and comprehensive option that fosters collaboration with others, the G Suite is certainly at the top of my list.
The G Suite Pricing in Singapore (G Suite Basic) cost SGD$97 per user per year and you can sign up for G Suite with a G Suite Premier Partner in Singapore.
If you are based in Malaysia, the G Suite Pricing in Malaysia (G Suite Basic) will cost RM270 per user per year. However, do note that from 1 January 2020, a digital tax of 6% will be imposed on foreign digital service providers. Hence, it will be worthwhile to sign up for an annual contract with a G Suite Premier Partner in Malaysia before 31 December 2019.