Five Ways To Grow Your Business Using Open Source Tools

When it comes to being a business owner, you don’t want string to hold you back from doing your best and making the most of your company. And as great as technology can be, sometimes you are stuck with the restrictions in place that come with big name programs, apps and software. However, open source tools open up your business to an entirely new level of options for a variety of different areas of your business. Here is a look at five ways to grow your business using open source tools.

Create Projects
The Microsoft Office Suite has long been a top option when it comes to creating documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint’s and more. However, a program like LibreOffice is equally as powerful and is becoming a well-known substitute for the Microsoft brand. Whether you are writing proposals, trying to plan a new project or simply looking to track your projected finances, you can do so with LibreOffice. And unlike Microsoft, which comes with a $200 price tag, LibreOffice is free and full of community support.

Organize And Plan Better
If you are a Mac user, you may rely on iCal to keep track of your schedule and daily plans. For those that use PC or rely on Microsoft, then Outlook might be the go to option. However, open source software like Lightning is as powerful as the two above options mentioned and it also integrates into other programs. You can sync and manage events such as invitations that you get via email, social media and more. And like LibreOffice and other open source software, Lightning is continually being updated to make a better user experience.

Track Finances
Tracking finances with your business can be incredibly difficult. And the fact that you have to pay a lot of money for some of the mainstream products also sounds counterintuitive to spend money to manage your money. But with TurboCash, you can keep doing the latter, without having to spend the money to do it. This open source software allows you to keep up with who you owe, who owes you and how much you’ve made versus how much you’ve spent. And with an active social community, you can find out easier ways to help you track money more effectively. TurboCash lets you track money without spending it, which every business can benefit from.

Keep The Company Centralized
Social media has grown and become incredibly important for a variety of different reasons. However, if you want to keep your employees off of Facebook and Twitter, that doesn’t mean that social media can’t still be useful for you company. With an open source social media program like Elgg, you can keep everyone in your company on the same page with a company social media platform. This then allows for better communication with messages, program management, making connections and much more. Social media can benefit your company, even if you don’t want to open it up to some of the other, bigger-name options.

Be Adaptable
It’s important that your company can work with files that people send them, considering you never know what type of file it could be. An open source program like 7-zip will compress files for you and make them easier to share. This means you can then send emails or open files on your own computer, without having to take too many obstacles to do so.

Open source platforms can help your company. Not only are most of them free, but they also have great communities that can lend help when it’s needed. If you want to see your business succeed, consider the open source programs here.

About The Author

Ashley Wolf is a writer, tech enthusiast, and social media expert. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Follow Ashley on Twitter or LinkedIn.