Small Business Tech Toolkit

Small business owners and startup entrepreneurs must wear many hats. They play the roles of accountant, secretary, salesman, marketer, shipping coordinator. Chief executive and janitor. Magician. Miracle-worker. And while it’s fun to pursue an entrepreneurial adventure, it’s often challenging and far from easy. So we’ve found you a little help. If you own an iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to check out these 5 iOS apps -- they’ll make your life much easier.

I. To conveniently create invoices

App: InVoice2Go

Price: 3 invoices for free; plans starting at $24.99 / yr. for up to 100 invoices

Features: Create invoices and estimates on your iPhone or iPad. Email or print invoices directly from the app. Financial status reporting tool. Receipts2Go plug-in that can bill client-specific supplies.

Available on Android: Yes

II. To make managing travel and expense reports easier

App: Concur

Price: Free (but requires desktop Concur account, which starts at $8 / mo.)

Features: Book hotel rooms, manage itinerary and check flight reservations. Track expenses by manual input, scanning receipts or adding data via e-receipts. Concur takes all of this data on your trip and combines it neatly into an expense report.

Available on Android: Yes

III. If you send or receive packages often

App: Delivery Status Touch

Price: $4.99

Features: Works with major delivery services. Automatically pulls information from Apple, Amazon and Google Checkout. Packages get added to home screen, from which you can see the progress of every item coming or going.

Available on Android: No

IV. To sign documents digitally

App: Docusign Ink

Price: Free (unlimited documents with up to 5 signatories); beyond 5 signatories, must buy yearly plan starting at $15 / mo.

Features: Sign all kinds of documents electronically, email them, and eliminate scanning and printing. Documents can be imported from a cloud drive or taken from your iPhone/iPad camera. Can send emails to request a signature by email. Extremely useful if you or your clients have to sign lots of documents.

Available on Android: Yes

V. To create a simple, comprehensive personal database

App: Bento 4 (iPad only)

Price: $9.99 (syncs with Bento Mac software)

Features: Spreadsheet tool that uses a simple drag-and-drop method to combine tables with text fields and images on any of the 40 free templates. Organize contacts, plan events, create projects, manage lists.

Available on Android: No

The Small Business Owner’s Secret Productivity Weapon

When small business owners and entrepreneurs travel for business, it’s important for them to be efficient, make smart investments with their time and money, and keep expenses to a minimum while boosting productivity. The most effective way to achieve all of those things is by riding in a chauffeured car from a Bay Area limo service. It’s an investment in your safety, punctuality, and productivity -- turn travel time into work time. Instead of stressing out in traffic or looking for parking, relax in a luxury leather seat, stretch out your legs and answer emails, tap out emails on your tablet or review notes for your next meeting.