| Selecting the right tools is crucial for smooth daily operations as a founder. While it’s not wise to overspend on fancy tools as an early-stage startup, maintaining efficiency is essential. Balancing cost and effectiveness ensures you don’t dedicate excessive time to operational upkeep. |
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| Here are five free tools that we use actively, and any founder can implement in their startup to immediately enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their Go-To-Market (GTM) operations. |
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Communication
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| “Good communication is the bridge between confusion and clarity” Nat Turner. |
| Having a communication platform is essential if you want to move fast, here are a couple of tools we recommend: |
- Slack → Slack offers a free plan if you are not planning on integrating with more than 10 apps and using it internally only.
- Discord → Discord has the advantage of opening servers/channels with external parties (customers, users, etc.) for free, the downside is that there are no native integrations with any apps like in Slack.
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| Both of them are great communication tools and you could even work with both if you want to maintain a cost-efficient operation. |
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Design
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| When it comes to creative design, Figma is the go-to tool. It’s ideal for initial product design, presentations, marketing content, and more. Figma allows unlimited collaborators, keeping the whole team informed about ongoing work. While Canva is a simpler option, Figma stands out for those who want to explore advanced design capabilities. |
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Productivity
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| When it comes to calendar scheduling, Calendly is a common choice. However, consider Tidycal, which offers similar capabilities for free. Tidycal’s free plan provides all the essentials for managing calls with leads, prospects, and customers. With easy setup and great value, Tidycal turns your calendar into a well-oiled meeting machine at no cost. |
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User/Market Research
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| To conduct effective user and market research, surveys play a crucial role. Tally is an excellent tool for this purpose, allowing you to create unlimited surveys. With Tally, you can collect valuable data from your users and the market, providing essential insights to enhance your decision-making process. |
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| In summary, the impact of a tool on your startup or business is determined by the additional output it can generate. The tools we’ve shared are incredibly helpful in our day-to-day operations, and we hope they have a similar positive impact on your startup. |
