The Must-Have Paid Subscription Apps for Running a Successful Business

When I first took on the role of CEO at LOSD, I made the common mistake of throwing money at every shiny new app I thought I needed for the business function better. I subscribed to a ton of tools—most of them overlapping, doing the same things, and ultimately wasting my time and money. Looking back, I wish I’d had a more streamlined, thoughtful approach from the beginning. It would’ve saved me so much—especially in terms of time, energy, and, of course, money.

If you're in the early stages of building your business, i know the struggle. Cash is tight. Resources are limited. The last thing you want is to waste valuable funds on tools you don’t actually need. I know I could have avoided a lot of headaches in my journey if I had a solid ecosystem of apps that worked well together. When my business did start to grow, I quickly realised my back-office admin was a mess. I was juggling spreadsheets, emails, and tasks all over the place, and it was overwhelming. I really wish I had these systems in place earlier—it would have made my life so much easier.

So, after streamlining my tools and learning from my mistakes, I want to share the apps and subscriptions I now swear by. These tools help my business run smoothly, save me money, and—best of all—actually scale with growth. Here are my top must-have apps that I think every startup or growing business should consider:

1. Odoo

If I could recommend just one tool for running a business, it would be Odoo. I honestly wish I’d found it sooner. Odoo is a one-stop-shop for pretty much everything you need to run your business—from CRM (customer relationship management) to email marketing, finance management, calendar, website, web hosting and even form signatures. You can automate so much with Odoo, which saves you a ton of time. As your business grows, you can easily add more features to fit your needs—so you’re not constantly switching tools. It’s been a game-changer for me, especially when it comes to staying organised.

2. Canva (Paid Subscription)

When you’re in the early stages of your business, there’s often no room in the budget for hiring a designer. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still create professional-quality marketing materials. That’s where Canva comes in. Their paid subscription gives you access to a wide range of templates for email marketing, social media posts, presentations, and more. I’ve saved so much money creating my own materials on Canva—and if you want to save time more, you can hire a virtual assistant (VA) to do the work for you, if you have the budget for it. Canva is intuitive enough that even in the early days, you can create polished designs without needing any design skills. It’s helped me maintain a consistent brand look without breaking the bank.

3. Google Workspace

You might already be familiar with Google Workspace, but I’ll just say it again: it’s a must-have for any growing business. With email, cloud storage, and access to tools like Docs, Sheets, and Drive, it’s the foundation of my day-to-day operations. The beauty of Google Workspace is that it scales as your business does—you can start with a simple plan and upgrade as you grow. One bonus I didn’t expect? My Google Workspace subscription also includes access to Gemini (Google’s AI tool). While I personally prefer GPT for writing, having Gemini in my package encouraged me to try it out. Now, I use it regularly for writing assistance and brainstorming, and it’s been a helpful addition to my workflow.

Why These Apps Work for Growing Businesses

If I’m being honest, when I started, I was all over the place. I didn’t have a cohesive system or ecosystem of tools, and it really showed in the way I ran my business. My admin, marketing, and customer management were scattered across several platforms, which made it way harder than it needed to be.

Now, with apps like Odoo, Canva, and Google Workspace, things run a lot more smoothly. These tools have allowed me to automate a lot of tasks, stay organised, and focus more on the growth side of things instead of getting bogged down in the admin. Having the right tools in place early on would’ve saved me a ton of stress—especially when things started to take off. The right systems allow you to scale without feeling like you're constantly playing catch-up.

As your business grows, it’s easy to let the admin pile up and get overwhelmed. But having the right tools in place from the start can help you stay ahead, save time, and use your resources more wisely. If you’re in the startup or growth phase, I can’t recommend these tools enough. They’ve helped me build a foundation that I can rely on as my business continues to expand.

Here are a few bonus apps that are optional and inexpensive which i personally use:

1. VideoGen- If you're looking to produce high-quality videos with advanced editing features use ai text-video
2. Calendly- calendar integration with google meet
3. Linktree- landing platform to organise your social media platforms

In conclusion, If you're using any of these apps, or if you have any other tools that have been a game-changer for you, let’s connect! I’d love to hear about your experience and share tips for streamlining operations and scaling effectively.