This week in small business: Apps, apps, and more apps to fuel your success

news you can use

It’s an “App Bonanza” (App-a-loosa?) this week. Two writers give us the lowdown on a slate of productivity apps while another lists 15 great apps that will get your business off to a fast start.

Leadership, management, and productivity

Some of my favorite apps are the ones that increase my productivity. Robert Nachum introduces us to three that will help you get better focused and organized. Along those same lines, Pratik Dholakiya describes five apps busy executives use to squeeze 25 hours out of the day.

Laura Dunn has been doing a Huffington Post series where she sits down for a question and answer session with women in business. In this installment she talks to Laurie Fabiano, president, Tory Burch Foundation. And here she talks to Yvette Butler, president, Capital One Investing.

Could your small business use a $50,000 grant? Okay, dumb question, but entering this Lending Tree contest is quite smart.

Marketing and sales

Shama Hyder, CEO of The Marketing Zen Group, gives you four specific ways small business and franchise owners can use social to boost their sales.

This Marketing Land article by Jim Yu delivers seven omni-channel marketing tips to attract holiday shoppers. Timely, indeed.

Rid yourself of these “5 Common Reasons Your Sales Conversations Get Derailed,” and you’re going to see your bottom line improve big time.

Experts offer their take on what’s working for organic mobile search this holiday season in this MarketingDive article by David Kirkpatrik.

Joshua Nite checks in this week with a very original article: 11 Brain-Training Exercises for Your Content Marketing Team. (I don’t know if they’ll burn any fat, however.)

If your digital marketing efforts are a bit on the unorganized side, Alex Oliveira’s “A Four-Step Guide To Creating Your Digital Marketing Plan” is a good starting point to get things in order.

Entrepreneurship, startups, and innovation

Young Entrepreneur Council member Justin McGill lists and describes 15 apps that startups will find useful to use post launch.

Believe it or not, this Phil La Duke piece entitled “The Top 5 Reasons Not to Become an Entrepreneur,” should be required reading for everyone who does want to become an entrepreneur.