1. An accessible laptop
An accessible laptop allows you to do all your research and planning in one place. Get one that runs Windows 10 or the latest version of Mac OS to take advantage of the latest accessibility features. Both Macs and PCs have built-in accessibility features such as a magnifier and the screen reader for Windows 10.
2. An accessible smartphone
Audio and video are important marketing tools. Make sure your phone has a high quality camera. Your phone is also a home for your apps, which can make running a business easier. Consider features like OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and screen reader compatibility when you buy your phone. Apple devices have VoiceOver, Zoom, contrast adjustment, and other accessibility options. Phones with iOS 8 and above have braille screen input. Take phone plans into account too. Do you need more data to share files and access the internet on the go? Do you need more minutes for client phone calls? Decide what you need for accessibility and running your business before purchasing.
3. A tablet or iPad
Lighter and more portable than a laptop, tablets are a convenient tool for the entrepreneur. Try attaching a keyboard to make it more like your computer.
4. Seeing AI
This Microsoft app identifies text, currency and documents using artificial intelligence. Use it if you get a paper invoice or handwritten receipt.
5. LinkedIn
The LinkedIn app is accessible, and it provides a platform for you to market yourself and network with other entrepreneurs, suppliers and customers. It will let you create a page for your company.
6. An accessible accounting app
QuickBooks Self-Employed is an accessible app for iOS that lets you track your business finances. Connect your bank and credit card accounts, see your categorized expenses and sales, and pay employees. Manage taxes and bills too.
7. An app to communicate with your team
Slack is a popular tool to plan work and have conversations with your team. You can organize departments and projects, and chat by typing or doing voice/video calls with your colleagues. Skype for Business is another app that lets you create meetings and talk to your colleagues in chat, voice or video call. Both are largely accessible, and the developers are always looking to improve accessibility.
8. A Social Media Scheduling Tool
Ready to start online marketing through social media? Make posting easier by using a scheduling tool such as Sprout (linked here), or Hootsuite (linked here). You can schedule posts and stories in advance across different platforms, plus view reports and analytics to see how your content is doing and who your audience is.
9. A reminder app
Apps like Apple reminders alert you when you have important things to remember. This is helpful when you have proposals to write and bills to pay. Use your screen reader and the voice will prompt you when you have a reminder, such as emailing an investor.
10. A good productivity suite
Microsoft Office offers a variety of applications like Power Point, Excel, and Word. You can use the suite to create presentations for marketing, or use the spreadsheets to organize your financial data. iWork is a similar suite of programs for the Mac. It offers Pages, which lets you make documents using different templates. Numbers is a spreadsheet program you can add charts and graphics to so that it isn't just columns. Sort all your projects and information using these different applications.