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The 10 Tools Microentrepreneurs Need to Manage Multiple Projects Simultaneously

Many microentrepreneurs are solopreneurs, meaning they go it alone.

If they don’t, their small, agile team is hard at work on their juggling skills 🤹🏽‍♀️ (despite not being part of the circus 🎪)

Read between the lines (No, not THOSE lines lol. Get your mind outta the gutter 😂), and you’ll seed a lost soul in serious need of organization.

Truth is, without the right tools, managing multiple projects at the same time can be stressful.

Projects slip through your fingers quicker than sand. Clients are getting salty, or you’re not hitting your money goals.

All because there’s TOO MUCH going on.

Luckily, you’re not alone.

Tons of other microbosses out there feel your pain

And of course, the digital world has spat out answers (some of which we’re about to show you 😉)

Check out 10 tools microentrepreneurs need to manage multiple projects simultaneously, leaving them time to do their boss thang… 🤑

But first, we’ll unearth five of the biggest challenges of juggling projects and how to solve them.

Chop chop! Let’s get to it 🤓

5 Common Challenges of Managing Multiple Projects (and How to Solve Them)

First things first… Here’s a hug. Everything’s going to be OK 🤗

We see you’re struggling, and we want you to come out of this stronger.

(That’s kind of why we give solutions to the challenges here.)

Stay with us a bit longer, and you’ll be feeling MUCH better. Pinky promise.

Challenge 1: Keeping your team and clients on the same page

Remote teams are great and all, but the struggle is REAL when it comes to keeping everyone in the loop.

Different time zones, tools, everyone working according to their own schedules…

You have your hands full, which has its repercussions (unfortunately):

✉ Missed messages
📆 Missed deadlines
😵 Lack of clarity on the client’s and your business’ priorities

We’re the bearers of bad news. Yes, we know.

But, we’re just trying to be realistic with you.

(Would you rather we lie, and then everything to go to s***? Didn’t think so 😏)

Solution: Find a tool that organizes it all for you! We’re talkin’ client comments, team conversations, the like re: specific tasks on a single platform. This way, ya’ll don’t have to waste time combing through dozens of email threads in your already crowded inboxes

[🛑 (Kind of obvious) spoiler alert: We share these “solution” tools in our list of 10.]

Challenge 2: Setting unrealistic deadlines

Are you a client pleaser? And because of that, you like to flex too tight on those deadlines?

Yes, your competition seems to be crushing it. And yes, the due dates probably look good on paper.

But, remember you’re human. Your team (if you have one) is also human, and your clients are DEF human.

We haven’t reached bot domination yet 🤖 So, we're pretty certain about that.

No matter whose wishful thinking it was, imposing deadlines that are borderline impossible to reach isn’t healthy.

Like, unhealthier than those supersized fries that drunk you buys at your fav red & yellow fast food chain 🍟🤣 (Oh, just us? #awkward🐢)

Anyways, sure you may beat the deadlines at first, and your chest will puff up for doing so.

But the time will come when your humanness catches up to you, and life happens 🤷🏽‍♀️

Solution: Use a project calendar tool to manage your schedule and keep track of deadlines and other milestones. If you have to change any due dates, the tool notifies everyone on the team.

Challenge 3: Managing scope creep

For those unfamiliar with the project management term, scope creep refers to the continuous or uncontrolled growth of a project’s scope.

You start with a project that requires four steps until completion, and by the time you turn it in, it’s grown to seven 🥴

Let’s give you an all-too-real example to bring this point home.

Imagine you’re an SEO content writer, and your client asks you for three blogs per month.

The initial requirements are for the blogs to be between 800 - 1,000 words each, optimized for keywords provided by the client.

But, as you’re about to finish the last blog, your client tacks on new requirements: Each blog needs at least three affiliate links within the text, a CTA button at the end, and has to be uploaded to their CMS post-revisions.

Just off the top of our heads, here are two big problems with this scenario.

1️⃣ You’ll have to go back and do more work for the blogs you’ve already done, and

2️⃣ You didn’t quote the client for those services! (The extra work will take time, and time is money 💸)

Sorry, but when working on multiple projects with many clients, scope creep is common.

Many clients simply don’t define all they need from a project, and unfortunately for you, “I’ll know it when I see it” isn’t a deliverable.

While you can’t prevent scope creep 100% of the time, you can manage it or minimize its effects.

This will improve your chances of delivering a project on schedule 📅 and within budget 💵

Solution: Here are some tips on how you can try to avoid scope creep:

✅ Use a Gantt chart to outline every task you need to complete
🤝🏽 Ensure everyone is on the same page about project requirements and client needs
📄 Ensure proper documentation at every step of the way

Follow these steps, and you’ll be saying “Scope creep? Who dat?”

Challenge 4: Miscommunication

Communication skills kind of some of the most important life skills.

Ever heard of the “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!”? (Or are we dating ourselves on this one 😂)

Anyways, running with it… What if I didn’t scream? You wouldn’t scream, and then, no one would scream. And we’d all be SOL on that ice cream 🍨🍦

Get the point?

In other words, when it comes to clients and such, lack of open and transparent communication can lead to:

👎🏽 Poor client or customer experience
❌ Unfinished tasks
💥 Conflict
🥴 Scope creep
📆 Missed deadlines

Solution: Establish communication channels between your team and the clients from the onset. Also, clarify what's communicated on which channels.

For example, project updates will be kept to your project management tool and simple check-ins to your communication app.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy 🍋

Challenge 5: Picking the right tools

There are a bazillion tools out there, all vying for your undivided attention.

How do you know who to listen to or which one to choose?

Putting your budget aside, you need to pick a tool that just plain WORKS for you.

Again, getting it wrong could be a waste of time ⏳ and money 🤑 in an era where you’re trying to maximize on both.

Solution: Here are a few questions you should ask yourself when choosing:

👍🏽 Does it simplify my planning process?
👩🏽‍💻 Can remote team members and clients to work together seamlessly?
📁 Does it organize files and other important information into a single page to allow for easy access?
✅ Does it allow for easy review and approvals by the client?

Fortunately, dozens of tools fit the bill.

Let’s take a look at 10 that help microentrepreneurs manage multiple projects simultaneously without breaking the bank

The 10 Tools Every Microentrepreneur Needs to Manage Multiple Projects

For convenience, we’ve placed the tools into four categories: communication, collaboration, project management, and miscellaneous.

While there are many more than just these, these 10 tools have pulled their weight day in and day out in the digital world.

Let’s dive in 🤩

Communication

Slack

Slack is far from slacking in this category… 😂

It’s a cloud-based messaging tool that simplifies real-time communication between your team and clients.

Simply put, it’s a group messaging platform.

Overall, Slacking is pretty straightforward. (... OK, we’re done 🤭)

You just set up channels, invite members, and then start coordinating.

If you need more help, they have a tutorial on how to Slack.

It really can’t get easier than that.

Here are some of Slack’s key features:

🖇 Easily integrate other tools, like Zoom, Asana, or Google Drive
⚠ Receive deadline reminders from the Slackbot
📝 Take notes right within the app
📞 Call team members via audio or video
📄 Fully format client documents using the Slack posts feature

Also, whether just starting out or looking to expand, Slack’s pricing will meet you where you’re at:

Zoom

COVID-19 hit, and Zoom came crawling up out of the woodwork, ready to steal the spotlight 🔦

Similar to Slack, Zoom also joined the verb club these days, right next to Netflix, Google, and FaceTime.

You aren’t going to video call your client over lunch; you’re going to Zoom with them over lunch 💅🏽

Plus, it’s no secret that Zoom is steadily replacing the rather outdated Skype 🤐

With their virtual backgrounds, built-in beautification filters, and better call quality, it’s kind of obvious why...

Some other crucial Zoom features include:

📆 Sync meetings with your calendar
🎥 Record meetings to send to clients later
💻 Share your screen while on call
⭐ Star messages in your chats
📱 Compatible with literally any device

And as far as Zoom pricing goes, as expected, there’s something for everyone:

Collaboration

Google Workspace

We’re starting strong here with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), the big kahuna of collaboration tools.

It includes email (Gmail); cloud storage (Google Drive); calendar (Google Calendar); videoconferencing (Google Meets); and web-based Google tools, such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

Pretty much everything you need all under one roof 🏡

Also, because practically everyone and their mothers know how to use these tools, you rarely need to train a team member or client how to use Google Workspace 😁

In other words, onboarding is extremely easy.

Some key, PAID Google Workspace features you may not know about are:

📧 Use a custom business email address
🗄 Enjoy more storage space vs. free Gmail (which allows 15 GB)
📞 Send and receive phone calls on a work number with Voice
💻 Work across devices with or without internet
🔐 Protect data with two-step verification
📲 Receive 24/7 customer support (email, phone, live chat)

It’s def an upgrade from what you get with a free Gmail account. #justsayin’

Luckily, Google Workspace’s pricing is also quite straightforward:

Dropbox

Dropbox is a file sharing and cloud storage tool on steroids.

It offers a lot of the same amenities as Google Workspace, but with a twist - like being able to edit cloud content AND Microsoft office content directly in the app.

… Amounts to less time switching between apps or searching for files 😁

Other than the standard device sync, simultaneous editing of files, yadda yadda, some other cool features of Dropbox include:

📲 Integrate with third-party apps, like Slack, Zoom, or Trello
✒ Co-edit and improve productivity on Dropbox Paper
🙏🏽 Restore or recover files for up to a month
🔒 Restrict access to certain files

As far as pricing goes, you may be able to scrape by with the free version, which offers 2 GB of storage and limited features.

But your large files will fill those 2 GB up quickly, especially when working with a team.

(We may or may not be speaking from experience on that last one 🤭)

Here is the pricing structure for Dropbox:

Project Management

Asana

Asana is practically synonymous with project management, being one of the most widely used tools by micropreneurs and small businesses alike.

It has a clean and intuitive user interface. It’s easy to create boards to track projects, and you can update clients nonstop without the never-ending game of email pingpong.

😎

We could go on for days (and we have LOL… see our product review in the Trello section), but to keep things short, we’ll skip to the good stuff 😘

Some of Asana’s key features include:

📱 Stay connected 24/7 with the mobile app (iOS & Android)
📅 Set up a project calendar to keep everyone on schedule
☑ Enjoy 100s of third-party integrations
🏁 Prompt reminders of project milestones
🌐 Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese

And when it comes to keeping your budget in mind, they’re friendly in that department as well.

Check out Asana’s prices:

Trello

Simple. That’s the best way to describe Trello.

It’s a drag-and-drop digital Kanban (sticky note) board that makes project management seem like a breeze.

Its user interface is perfect for light project work, which is why it’s a hit with freelancers and small teams.

(Psst - Here’s our previously mentioned Product Review - Project Management: Asana Vs. Trello. We give you the honest to goodness truth on both tools. No holding back.)

Key features with Trello include:

🗃 Color code cards for organization
😍 Change the default Trello background
🔐 Manage board membership permissions
🔝 Manage tasks by dates or priority

You can’t sneeze at Trello’s pricing either. It’s pretty affordable, especially if you never upgrade:

Wrike

Yes, we admit that Wrike is not as mainstream as the first two, but don’t judge a book by its cover!

The tool is used by companies like Google, AirBnb, Dell, and Hootsuite.

And for good reason 👊🏽💥

Customized is Wrike’s middle name. They brag that no one else offers the versatility they do when it comes to personalizing your dashboards, workflows, and team-specific automation.

Other notable features on Wrike include:

⌚ Shorten feedback time with automated approval systems
🗣 Use voice communication tools, like voice commands
💯 Create custom request forms for each team
🖊 Keep a detailed record of changes with Wrike Proof

We guess you’ll have to see for yourself if it’s worth it.

Start with the freemium plan and then continue on as you see fit. Here is Wrike’s pricing:

Miscellaneous

Hootsuite

If you’re going to manage multiple projects simultaneously, we’re assuming you’re doing something with at least one of the 100+ social media sites.

And if your client’s social media plan is… extensive… you’ll need a tool to power them all.

👋🏽 Say hellooooo to Hootsuite 🦉

Publish. Engage. Advertise. Analyze.

If you need it, this all-in-one social media dashboard is there for you.

Some of Hootsuite’s features are:

☕ Create and schedule posts to multiple sites simultaneously
🦅 Get an overview of social media channels
🗺 Map out social campaigns
✉ Interact with incoming messages from several sites in one spot

And while it has a free plan, they’re pretty pushy on getting you to pay up. Here is Hootsuite’s pricing:

Paymo

Paymo is a time-tracking & invoicing tool.

Basically, it’s like if Asana and Trello had a baby, and that baby was born with a stopwatch ⏱ and ability to charge 🤑

So you’ll never again lose track of time you spend on a specific project (SO key if you charge hourly), and billing happens right there, too.

Pretty cool, right?

We felt like sticking it up there alongside the other project management tools (Asana, Trello, and Wrike) wouldn’t do it justice - strictly because of those dandy features.

So, here it is! 📢 Loud and proud.

Hear Paymo roooooar 🦁

Anyways, many of Paymo’s key features mirror those of its cousins mentioned earlier, but here are a few distinct ones:

💸 Record and keep track of the project expenses
📄 Create invoices in Paymo for direct payment
⏲ Get live updating time reports on projects
🔗 Integrate with G Suite, Slack, Quickbooks, and Zapier

Paymo offers a full-featured FREE plan that has everything you need as a solopreneur.

Nevertheless, if expansion is within your site, Paymo’s prices are accommodating:

Loom

And last but not least, we have Loom.

Loom is video messaging for work. That’s it 😂

Ever need to explain project details to your client, but you just don’t have time to try and schedule a call? Or, your schedules conflict? ⚔

Loom it. (Dunno if it’s a verb, but we just made it one.)

And you reallyyyy don’t have time to explain it over email either?

Loooooooom to the rescue 🦸‍♀️

Since there’s not much more to say about it (it’s THAT simple), we’ll dive right into Loom’s features:

✂ Easily edit (trim, add a CTA, create a custom thumbnail)
📸Record video messages of your screen, camera, or both
🔗 Instantly share the link once you hit 🛑
🔐 Make your video password-encrypted
🖥 Available for Mac, Chrome, Windows, and iOS

Plus, it’s free, unless you need those extra features, in which case, here are Loom’s prices:

Choosing the Right Tool

And options we have 🤣

Obviously, there’s no one-size-fits-all tool, especially since many offer similar features and prices.

It’s kind of like comparing apples and oranges. Which one do you feel for? 🤷🏽‍♂️

We recommend you start by taking a closer look at your basic needs as a microentrepreneur.

What gaps do you need filled in your business? What are your current tools lacking? If you have a team, lean on them for ideas, too. What are they always complaining about?

The best part about these? A lot of them offer free plans. So, you literally have nothing to lose (other than time).

Get going!

Final note: If streamlining your microbusiness’ systems like a microboss is your thing, get early access to Boost. It’s the only work platform you’ll need to help you focus on what you do best 💪🏽