Smart phones are tremendously useful for businesses of all sizes; by providing access to important documents and the ability to communicate from any location that provides Internet access, smart phones are perhaps the most important tool in a business operator’s toolkit. Sometimes, however, it is difficult to find the best apps for your business.

Here are some essential apps for emerging small businesses.

Google Drive
Google Drive enables users of computers, smart phones and tablets to access Google Docs. The Google Docs platform gives users free access to five gigabytes of storage space, which is enough for almost any small business. The collaborative capabilities of the platform make it a great choice for small businesses who may have employees traveling to grow the business, and the Cloud features help ensure data integrity.

Google’s suite of activities give small businesses access to a number of tools that enable them to avoid the typical startup expenses of office software. Consider using Google Drive, Google Docs and Gmail instead of other commercial offerings.

Expensify
Tracking expenses is one of the major annoyances that small business owners must deal with. Important for the bottom line, taxes and other small business considerations, expenses must be logging accurately and consistently. By given those who work for the business a mobile platform to track expenses, Expensify eases the process.

Expensify can also use a smart phone’s GPS chip to automatically track mileage. Expensify offers visualizations of your spending and can help you find ways to save on expenses over time.

Instacalc
Smart phones come with basic calculators but lack financial calculating capabilities. Instacalc serves this important niche to allow you to make financial calculations from anywhere. Instacalc is also capable of creating attractive charts to help you visualize your projections and can even save charts for use in presentations and meetings.

Wise investments and proper projections are crucial for business of all sizes, and those who run small businesses should constantly think about new areas of investment that can make a difference.

Harvest
Running a small business demands a tremendous time investment. Too many, however, fail to use their time in a productive way. Harvest provides time tracking capabilities that help you track how you are spending your time.

By carefully tracking your activities, you can find ways to work more effectively and spend more time thinking about future routes of investment. Charles Phillips of Oracle once said, “When we go into an industry, we go all the way.” Use this aggressive mindset to help you attack how you are spending your time and use your time as effectively as possible.

The demands of starting and growing a small business are extensive and intense. Small business owners often suffer from poor sleep and periods of intense stress; others have to sacrifice their entertainment time and time spent with friends. The rewards of success, however, make the sacrifice worth it. Make sure that you are using the apps that can help you achieve your goals in an effective, efficient manner.