Asana vs. Monday vs. Trello - What Is the Best Project Management Tool for Small Business Owners?3/3/2021 Several project management tools are available on the market to better coordinate both customers and their tasks under one roof. But because there are various apps available on the market, it may be challenging to select one with the best functionality without understanding if it would satisfy your needs.
Today we bring you three popular task management tools, all of which are preferred by organizations for project management. Through an exhaustive comparison of their characteristics, pros and cons, create a smarter decision for your company to help you handle your tasks smoothly. Here's a brief on the three project management tools: 1.Asana – www.asana.com Asana is a flexible task management program that can help you arrange your tasks, maintain reliable records, and coordinate all projects under one tool. Through this app, project management can be incredibly transparent, allowing you to delegate unique roles to only specific team members depending on their expertise. This software aims to remove to-and-fro email correspondence and instead provides a consolidated dashboard for communication through notifications. 2.Monday – www.Monday.com Monday is a task management program that encourages teamwork by visualization tools that allow accountability and cooperation between team members to handle tasks and meet deadlines. This all-inclusive service provider is easy to use and provides a user-friendly platform that handles ad promotions, addresses glitches, addresses problems, facilitates client experience management, and produces images. 3.Trello www.trello.com The Trello USP falls in the form of arranging tasks on boards. You have a clear picture of who is working on what job, what things are going on, and which programs are going to be finished. You can consider it as sticky notes, except that you delete any manual intervention. Here's a thorough overview we've assembled to help you make a smarter choice to select the right one for you: Pricing 1.Trello Trello is offering three plans. The Free Plan allows you to create limitless cards, lists, and boards with an attachment capacity of 10MB. You can use one power-up per panel. Business Class adds premium assistance, unrestricted power-ups, and additional third-party software integration. 2.Monday Monday doesn't provide a free version, but it does include a 7-day free trial. After that, the price begins at $39 a month per account for their Basic Plan. The Standard Plan is $49, this alternative adds functionality such as a Gantt chart view (called a Timeline) and a calendar, and you can connect the boards with others without asking them to sign up for a Monday account. The Pro plan will cost $79 for extra views and company functions such as time monitoring. 3.Asana Asana is offering a free version of its Basic Plan for up to 15 members. This plan lets you create projects, delegate them to team members, and display them as a Kanban board (Trello and Monday also offer this sort of view). In the Basic tier, you can also show a calendar with all your deadlines. But certain functionality, such as the option to display the project in a timeline, requires a Premium plan that costs $10.99 per month per user (each of Asanas plans is discounted if you pay annually). The Business Plan adds priority assistance and additional functionality, including the option to see job dependence and a "workload" view that displays what someone is working on—and theoretically which workers are overwhelmed. Features These three major project management tools are so popular because they all have very useful features that make them successful. On related features, Trello, Asana, and Monday all have features that touch: APIs, dashboards, manage updates, automatic alerts, feedback, time monitoring, presentations and visualizations, and third party device incorporation. On the distinction of features:
Here, we look to other third-party software or apps that support these project management tools. We determine this by the amount of efficiency and collaboration resources officially endorsed by these project management tools. 1.Trello Trello has over 200 third-party software integrations, including applications like all the Google Workplace tools: docs, drives, spreadsheets, Gmail, and very crucial cloud storage platforms like Dropbox, Github, collaboration tools like Slack, and also monitoring tools like Jira. Trello is the ultimate middleware that guarantees the smooth and frictionless convergence of a variety of resources from one central place. Reports show that Trello incorporates more than 80 percent of third-party software in the project management and preparation market. 2.Asana With a little over 160 third-party app incorporation, Asana has created a strong mainstream brand for itself by shipping support for applications such as Mailchimp, Microsoft Office tools, Evernote, Zapier, Airtable, and also Jira, among others. It is reported that Asana incorporates 70% of third-party software in the project management and planning market. 3.Monday Monday.com has over 15 third-party applications, some of which are Dropbox, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Google Analytics, Microsoft Excel, and others. It is estimated that Monday.com incorporates 20% of third-party software in the project management and planning market. Customer Demographics Trello and Monday.com were built for freelancers, small and medium-sized companies, and corporate arrangements in mind. On the other hand, Asana was planned with only small and medium-sized companies in mind. Freelancers will find it more convenient to use Trello or Monday.com relative to Asana. Support We will categorize support in separate phases:
You should note that Trello is the most popular option when you compare Asana vs. Monday vs. Trello, preceded by Asana and then Monday. This is because Trello can be used for individuals, businessmen, and start-ups. Above, we gave a thorough look into the three major project management tools in terms of features, support, pricing, and integration. Read through them, get an understanding of what specifications you require, and pick the tool that best fits your needs.
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 Better Business Planning: Ways to prepare for the tax season ahead
Tax season is almost coming to a close and final preparations are being completed as this year comes to an end. With the 2019 year ending, many businesses are considering ways to improve upon the upcoming tax season ahead. With tax laws changing constantly it is a good idea to start the next year off on the best footing. Here we have compiled a few tips to help you and your business better prepare for tax season next year. Organize receipts (use accounting software) One of the most missed opportunities when it comes to reducing taxes owed is keeping track of receipts. Those dinners where you takes business, that receipt for an oil change on a company car, and that repair on a business computer adds up. If you do not organize and keep track throughout the year, you could be missing out on major deductions. By implementing software such as QuickBooks you could easily manage those receipts and organize them for the year. If you are relying on other systems, make sure to organize a simple way to keep track of expenses. Go paperless While the idea of not keeping receipts in a folder or in your wallet/handbag scares you, there are some pretty cool advantages of using a paperless system to track all your business handlings. With so many software solutions on the market, you can easily streamline, organize, and track business transactions in one electronic platform. Going paperless let’s you save by file name, dates, and can even keep you organized on things like payments received, bills paid, and deductions at filing time. Going paperless also saves trees- and we want to keep trees around. Download credit card summaries and bank reports Summaries are a great way to reconcile and ensure you accounted for spending and payments received. With downloading summaries, you can review where most of the spending has gone (categorical) and where you could see to save on some coasts and also find solutions to maximize the detections that may be attached. Knowing where money comes and goes before heading into tax season keeps you more in line with, well, your bottom line. Ensure deductions are in order It can’t be said enough: deductions, deductions, deductions. When it comes to small business making sure you’re deductions are in order is key. Heading into tax season, compare deductions from years prior to present all while reviewing any tax law changes. It’s best to see where trends are going for possible write offs along with where more deductions will come from in the future. Keep information as you go One of the biggest missteps of every small business is waiting until the end of the year to get tax documents organized. This has accounted for thousands of dollars left on the table at tax time. If you implement a online or electronic system for tracking expenses and revenue throughout the year, you increase the chances of reporting every penny. Keeping track throughout the year takes some discipline but it pays off huge in the end. Consult with your tax advisor/accountant Consulting with your tax advisor or accountant throughout the year is a wise move. Using an expert as your business grows to help you to ensure the most well laid out plan for the year. Use the trust and support of a seasoned professional to ask questions as the landscape of your business changes and as tax laws become more clear. It’s a good move to implement sooner than later. Staying ahead of taxes is a key to a successful upcoming tax season. Preparing and setting some good foundational practices will ensure you have the best game plan going into this upcoming year. With these tips you can be well on your way to a great year. However if you find that you need help using a trusted tax professional and accountant, we can help. With PKJ Consulting we offer a variety of services for your business. To learn more about what we offer and how your business can benefit, connect with us HERE and we can get started right away.  To deduct or not deduct: The top write offs as a small business owner
Business expenses can be a major help when it comes to tax time. Becoming more familiar with what a “write off” is defined by, you can then identify what would be the top write off you can claim on your own business taxes. While the write offs may differ based on the structure of your business, most are similar in nature. Let’s take a look at the top write offs, you as a small business owner can look to capitalize from. What’s a Deduction? First, it’s important to define a deduction. In order for an expense to be deductible, the company must use it as an ordinary and necessary item. For instance an ordinary item is something usually used in the trade. Carpenters using hammers and nails is common- using low profile rims and custom leather seats for a Ferrari may not count. A necessary expense is one that helps your business. This can be an upgrade to software, a computer or even a tablet if you accept payment in the field. When starting out, it’s best to separate your expenses from personal. In addition, separating business expenses from certain “business operations/transaction” costs is key as well. The following expenses are used to figure out a company's “cost of goods”:
In addition, there are types of expenses that go into figuring the cost of “goods sold” which include the cost of products or raw materials, including freight, storage, labor costs (including contributions to pensions or annuity plans), and facility overhead. While deductions are one thing, Capital Expenses are another “write off” must follow. In this case, businesses must capitalize, rather than deduct, some of their costs. These costs are a part of the investment into the business which is why they are called capital expenses. Capital expenses are considered “assets” not deductions. Some types of costs associated with capital expenses include:
Generally speaking you can not deduct personal expenses such as living space or family expenses unless it’s tied to the business. For instance, if you use your home office for business purposes you can deduct that portion on your taxes. Some of the most common business write offs for the small business owner:
Filing your claims Knowing what constitutes a deduction and what is considered a legit “write off”, it all needs to be filed at tax time. There are some ways in which business taxes are reported and vary based on the business structure and setup. If you are looking for more ways to maximize on your tax breaks, want to learn more about how to plan for tax time, or have general accounting questions we are here to help. Please visit us HERE to chat with us today and see how we can help you get the most out of your businesses deductions.  10 Quick Tips for Blogging for your Business
One tried and true way for a small business (or any size business for that matter) to engage with their customers and members is to develop a blog. Blog popularity is an ever growing medium to engage with, educate, and provide real life examples of how to navigate a variety of topics. Often it’s not a question of “should I blog?”, rather it’s a question of what and how do I go about pushing out content? Well, you’re in luck because we drafted this quick tips list for blogging success. Here are the following tips:
2. Offer a free download People love free stuff. Often overlooked, but a blog post can offer a reader some free downloadable content that brings value to their interests. You can post a quick guide or even a how to get started guide for a topic that your readers want to learn about. 3. Make it intentional Blogging should be fun but also intentional. Keep focus on what message you want to get across and be intentional. If it’s starting to turn into a hot summer, why not write about ways to stay safe in the heat or how to weather the “storm.”- pun intended. 4. Contract out Sometimes it’s ok to hand over the blogging reigns to a professional writer. They can bring a value to the blog with their own perspectives and creativity that pairs well with your brand. In addition they can handle the content while you handle other aspects of your company. 5. Create a map plan Map out your posts so it doesn’t feel like your writing the same content over and over. Look ahead to the type of season your business is heading into and write topics geared towards that plan. If it’s a specific time of year make sure to focus on tips or ideas that help a reader in that moment and also create content for later to post down the road. 6. Solve a problem Why do you read a blog post? It’s not because you feel less educated after! It’s because you have a problem you want solved. So- solve your readers problems and create value to your writing. If you need ideas simply write a blog post to solicit feedback and see what happens! 7. Provide links to valuable sites Backlinking is critical to blog writing. You want users to be able to access the information you are sharing and also direct them to a valuable find. In addition other websites will see you referring to them and may return the favor. 8. Share relevant content Staying relevant is key. If your blogging about one day having solar powered homes you may be a bit outdated. Post and share trends, new findings, or even odd methods that still are relevant today. All in all you want to remain relevant or your readers will find another blog to read. 9. Post often Posting often is important so you have fresh content and keep readers coming back for more. If you can maintain a consistent schedule of posting then you can keep readers expecting content and seeking it out from your site. This also helps keep fresh content for search engines to show the world who you are. 10. Have fun Lastly, and most important is to have fun. Blogging is fun and if you find joy, exciting topics, and relevant information the writing will jump off the page. Enjoy this platform and share some great things with your readers. Enjoy it! Well, there you have it: 10 quick tips for blogging for your business. It’s an easy yet effective way to engage customers, increase brand awareness, and seek out new and exciting opportunities. Until our next post, happy reading!  Feeling the burn? Top 5 Tips to Prevent Burnout as a Business Owner
Small business owners everywhere share a lot of the same experiences when it comes to running and managing a business. Often times it can feel like the weight of the world is on their shoulders. This feeling makes a lot of sense as many know it is not easy running a business. Multiple hats are worn and problems have to be solved. But before you can solve everything else you first need to solve this one thing: burnout. From stress to stress about stress, many things can pull your attention away from the tasks and the reasons you got into business in the first place. No matter the business you got into, there is much to be said about managing stress and reducing the pressure of burnout. In this post we will cover the 5 tips you can implement to help curve your burnout. Let’s get started! 5. Exercise Not an athletic person? No need to be when it comes to doing a few things here and there to help decrease stress-exercise being one of them. By engaging in just a few minutes per day, you can implement a exercise routine in no time. Exercise has been shown to reduce stress, increase heart health, and gives your body an activity to exert some pent up stress. Simply taking a walk, doing a 5 minute routine at the start of your day, or hitting the gym for a dedicated work-out session can all help reduce stress and clear your mind. 4. Take a “one day at a time” perspective Ok this is not what you might be thinking. Businesses often take a “where are we going” or a “what does the future look like” approach- which is all good. What we mean here is to take a one day at a time approach to tackling an aspect of the business. For instance, if you layout what needs to be done in the week to meet a goal, break it down to a task or sets of tasks a day. If you can execute a task each day, by taking on no more or no less, you breakdown the workload to a more manageable view. One day of accomplishing tasks added up equates to a full week of being productive and ahead of the curve. 3. Take unwind time Notice how we didn’t say “you” time? It’s for a reason- unwind time is actually time to unwind, not focus on other things. When people take “me” (or you time), they often do things that add more stress. The pressure to capitalize on the the time you a lot adds less than perfect outcomes. So, instead of focusing on “you”, focus on doing something that helps you unwind. Reframing the time as unwind time, sort of gives you permission to do something different. It forces you to focus on decompressing and not so much on maximizing your time. Read a book, go on a walk, binge a funny show, or write a silly story that you throw away at the end. Something that takes your mind off the business and on something that is freeing. 2. Delegate A lot of business owners have trouble handing over tasks to others. Many people in fact have a case of the “I've got its.” It’s key to find people in the business, or life, that you can delegate tasks to. If other people around you can email out the newsletter, can follow up after a service was performed, or can sign work orders- let them do it! People will feel more empowered, you will feel less pull in multiple directions, and overall burnout may subside. Go ahead-delegate a little. 1. Learn the art of “no” One of the most critical lessons we all learn is the ability, and freedom, to say “no.” For some, saying no is like hurting someone or something you love. Saying no does not have to feel this way-nor should it. Saying no is the ability to recognize what you can or can not commit to and feeling empowered to be true to that. By saying no to projects, deadlines, or duties, you can feel more empowered when you do say yes. If things are not right, saying no can help you reshift focus and find what areas you can commit to and how to meet those expectations. So, try saying it aloud: No! Burnout is a real thing. It can sneak up on you, fill your mind, and eventually take you out of your game. Or, it can be something you embrace and find ways to minimize its impacts on your or your business. By following some simple tips, you can give burnout the cold shoulder and move through the ups and downs of business like a pro. So, go ahead and give yourself permission to blow-off burn-out! |
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