5 Apps that help me run a gardening business (2013)

I’m a bit of an early adopter when it comes to techstuff. Not everything I try is useful or even enjoyable but there are a few apps that now serve me well and I now regard as indispensable. Here’s my top 5 list of apps that help me run two gardening businesses.

Evernote

Evernote is proving to be invaluable. It was a bit of a slow burner to start with but I now use it with impunity.
From the website – Evernote makes it easy to remember things big and small from your everyday life using your computer, phone, tablet and the web.
How I use it:

Google Drive

Google Drive helps support the business

Google Drive helps support the business

Google Drive is Google’s cloud storage system.
From the website – Google Drive is everywhere you are—on the web, in your home, at the office and on the go. So wherever you are, your stuff is just…there.
How I use it:

Dropbox

Dropbox is a useful program

Dropbox is a useful program

Dropbox is another cloud application that we use extensively.
From the website – Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!
How we use it:

Google Calendar

From the website – Organizing your schedule shouldn’t be a burden. With Google Calendar, it’s easy to keep track of life’s important events all in one place

How we use it:

Google Reader

From the website – Google Reader, where keeping up with your favorite websites is as easy as checking your email.
How I use it:
I subscribe to a lot of gardening blogs and Google reader curates all my reading in one place and allows me to catch up on the latest gardening news and opinion when I’m out and about. It has great share features which allow me to share links with Evernote & Drive for future reference and use.
So that’s my top 5 Apps for running a gardening business. Whilst I appreciate that they are not gardening specific I hope I have highlighted the specific ways I use them to suit my business needs.
Other honourable mentions:

Blogger – The Android app is useful for drafting blog posts. Functionality is not great so I only use it for drafts and then carry out the finishing touches back at the office.

Camscanner – A great app for scanning in documents to your phone using your camera. Photos are converted into PDF files and can then be shared to the cloud.

Google+ – Not an app as such but Google+ is quickly becoming an increasingly important place to be, particularly with your business. Posts on Google+ can increase your ranking in Google search as can blog posts that you have compiled. I don’t know the technical ins and outs but I take it as read that a business needs to have a presence there.
I’m always on the look out for new indispensable apps or productivity tools so if you know of anything I’m missing I’d love to hear from you.
Regards
Michael & All at Vialii