There are apps that you'll most likely want to use internally to effectively run and promote your firm or small business.

Accountingfly - Accountingfly is a job site specifically designed for the accounting industry. We started using Accountingfly in 2015 for recruiting at one of my previous firms, HPC.

UpWork - If you need a contractor to help out with your social media, marketing, website, admin, etc, you can find some really good (and affordable) workers through this site. UpWork handles all payment processes — just enter your credit card number and you're good to go.

Canva — Adding images to your posts is one surefire way to increase audience engagement. If you're going to spend time on content marketing, make sure to create graphics to go with your copy. Canva is an easy and free way to do it. For more, and to see a sample blog title graphic I created, read my blog post about Canva.

Zapier - Zapier is one of the best tools for integrating accounting applications that don't have their own native connection.

LastPass - This is the best way to securely share logins in your firm and with clients. I couldn't survive online without it.

Grasshopper - Grasshopper is an easy way of getting an 800 number for your firm with an automated phone tree, just like the big boys. No special hardware is required — calls are being forwarded to mobile phones. You can make outgoing calls from your 800 number using the iOS and Android mobile apps. Grasshopper offers unlimited extensions, so it is built to scale.

PandaDoc - I like PandaDoc because I can combine our proposal, contract, and ACH authorization into a single document with e-signature. If you are looking to start with something simpler (and included in Xero), check out Xero Quotes.

Practice Ignition — This app does a LOT: online proposals, digital signatures, contracts, invoicing, payments, scope changes, client re-engagements, and more. So much that I can't decide if it should go in this section or under Practice Management. If you're looking for a total client management solution on the sales side of your practice, look no further. For more, read my blog post detailing all the features of Practice Ignition to learn how it can transform your firm's client engagement workflow.

HubSpot CRM - One thing that stops a lot of small firms from using a CRM is the cost. Good CRMs can get pricey, but with HubSpot CRM you don't have to worry about that because it’s completely free. How is that possible? Well, HubSpot is hoping that you'll also want to sign up for their integrated marketing platform. If you decide to use it, it makes keeping the CRM up to date really easy because the leads flow in directly from the marketing side of the software (email, landing pages, website, etc.)

Buffer - Having a social media presence requires frequent posting, but without the right tools it can take way too much time to manage. This is is where Buffer comes in handy. You can connect Buffer to your social media accounts and then schedule your posts for the future, all in one place. 

Squarespace - Squarespace is the easiest way to make and manage a beautiful website without the help of a web developer. I use Squarespace for this website.

These are excellent apps for accountants and bookkeepers doing outsourced accounting for their clients.

Xero - Back in 2012, when Xero was still new in the United States, I switched nearly all of my clients from desktop accounting software to Xero.

For more about the benefits of using Xero, read my post "Why Xero is great for startups."

uCollect - uCollect syncs with your Xero invoices to automatically collect payments. It is great for both the use in your own firm's billing and for setting up for your clients.

Hubdoc - Hubdoc securely connects to your bank accounts to download bank statements and check images automatically. It even extracts monthly PayPal CSV files for you without any effort on your part.

The more clients you have, the more time you save. Plus, you don't have to ask your clients to set up read-only access to their bank accounts — they can set up the HubDoc connection by entering their regular banking logins from their computer.

The app also handles receipts, invoices, and bills. You can sync these documents into other accounting apps including Xero, QuickBooks, and Bill.com.

Deputy - Deputy is an amazing online employee scheduling software. It will replace your time clock and so much more. It integrates with Xero, QuickBooks, Vend, Gusto, etc. You can sync employee time sheets directly into the payroll system, and forget about manual payroll time entry.

Expensify - The easiest way for employees to submit expenses and get reimbursed without paper.

MileIQ - This app for iOS and Android tracks your location in the background and automatically logs drives for you. Periodically, you go into the app and classify drives as business or personal with a swipe right or left.

MinuteDock - MinuteDock is a simple and elegant time tracking app that can use your time entries to generate invoices in Xero.

I used MinuteDock for two years while growing my online bookkeeping company, Cloudsourced Accounting. Our bookkeepers loved it, which is high praise given that tracking time is one of the least favorite things bookkeepers do as part of their jobs.

Gusto - I've had high satisfaction with clients using Gusto. It’s now offering workers’ comp insurance and employee health benefits.

One thing I love about Gusto is that it automatically impounds and remits payroll taxes. It also files the payroll tax returns without any additional effort on the part of the user. This makes it great for accounting firms, since we absolutely don't want to be on the hook for a staff member forgetting to do these things!