When it comes to your business do you have all the tools you need to be successful? Online is a whole new realm for business that was barely available 20 years ago, as technology changes so do business practices. So I thought I would give you a run down of 15 tools that can help you and your business be successful small business.

1. accounting. You don’t need a fancy accountant to do all your dirty work, track your income, debt, expenses and more with finance software.

2. calendar Management. This is critical, you want something that allows you to block off times each week, gives you reminders, syncs with other calendars as well as can be shared across a wide platform.

3. communication. Communicate with your employees, with your consumers, with your community. If someone works remote video chatting is a great way to go.

4. create good content. I cannot stress how important it is to create good content. Tools online will help you edit to make sure everything is spelled right, grammar is correct and that you’re ready for a public debut.

5. graphics. Your pictures should never be pixilated it makes your company look pathetic. Always have photographs taken at 300 DPI, they can be lowered for the internet, however your raw file should always be large enough.

6. font. When selecting a font for your brand select one that is easy to read, and isn’t filled with a bunch of bells and whistles.

7. email relationships. Separate your email by keywords so you know what messages are the most important to respond to.

8. ecommerce. If you are selling products make sure you have reputable shopping card software.

9. filing sharing. Web-based office software and file sharing is critical at a company. You can put all the files that are needed in one convenient location for everyone to get as needed.

10. master data management tools. These tools are designed to help businesses improve the consistence and quality of their key date assets – such as product data, asset data, customer data, location data and more. 

11. health and wellness. These tools are here for your own sanity. There are apps that properly show you how to meditate, give gratitude journal prompts and more.

12. SEO. Find out how your site ranks against other websites and improve upon it. Only you can change the data that you supply, therefore you should spend the time doing keyword research to optimize your website.

13. network. Networking is critical to any brand or business. Visit local events, find like minded individuals that may be interested in what your company has to offer. The more people the meet, the more your brands gets out into the world.

14. social media. You either love it or hate it, and if you want to survive in the current world we live in you better learn to love it. This gives you the ability to allow your business to connect with individuals you may not otherwise have ever spoken to. It also gets your name out there into the world.

15. podcasts. These are great ways to get ideas about things you could be changing, improve on and more.

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, exchange-traded funds oh my! The allure of earning high returns from these investments is sure to get your attention. With big returns comes big risks. Before you set out to invest it’s best that you get all your finances in order and increase your knowledge to make the best investments that you can. Chase Rubin has served the financial industry for more than twenty years, and is currently sharing his knowledge regarding the investment industry so the public is informed. The more you know, the easier it is for you to make the right decisions.

One of my friends is actually a financial planner and sat down with me to make this list of 20 things to keep in mind when it comes to investing.

1. Having. Unless you’re already wealthy saving is important to built your wealth.
2. Invest. The best way to invest is in small business, real estate and stocks.
3. Be real. 9 to 10 percent per year is about the return you’ll see from stocks and real estate.
4. Long term. Invest long term five to ten years to get a greater return.
5. Play it safe. Money you need to use within the next year should be invested in a safer way such as money market.
6. Make sure you have the money before you invest.
7. Go global. Don’t just invest in the US markets, see what is out there globally to invest in.
8. Supply and demand. The price of bonds and stocks are determined by supply and demand.
9. Spend money to make money. Buying and selling investments costs money, make sure you’re at a good place financially before placing your investments.
10. Taxes. Understand your tax bracket.
11. The more you pay on commissions and account management the less money you make in the long run.
12. The more you trade the more likely you are to make mistakes.
13. Educate. Make sure you do your research on an advisor before agreeing to allow them to be in charge of your money.

Jumping into stocks, bonds and more can be a scary situation, but when you put the time, effort and energy into learning about what investments are the right ones for you. Not every investment is the right investment for everyone. What I decide to invest in might be so wrong for you to invest in. Always find someone who is on your side working with your best interest in mind so you can feel comfortable in the decisions that are being made. You should never just rely on financial advisors to make all your decisions. This is YOUR life, these are YOUR investments, this is YOUR money – use your voice and have a say. The advisor is making money off of you, whether you lose it all or gain it. Some don’t even care if you have a big loss, because they know you’ll come back and keep trying. We all want the big return, the big money, but make sure you know what you’re doing with your investments first.