Running a business—especially in the shirt-making, tumbler-printing, sticker-making, and custom product industries—means juggling orders, designs, inventory, deadlines, and customer inquiries all at once. 🌀 Without the right project management tools, things can get overwhelming fast.
Good news? You don’t have to do it all manually! There are plenty of tools to help you stay organized, streamline workflows, and keep your business running smoothly. Let’s dive into the best project management tools for small business owners! 👇
1. Trello – Best for Visual Task Management
🔹 Why It’s Great: If you love drag-and-drop simplicity, Trello is the perfect way to organize orders, tasks, and projects visually.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Organize projects with boards, lists, and cards
✅ Track customer orders from start to finish
✅ Assign tasks to team members (if you have a VA or assistant)
✅ Set due dates and reminders so nothing gets missed
👉 Try Trello for Free: https://trello.com/
🔥 Pro Tip: Use Trello Power-Ups to integrate with Google Drive, Slack, and more!
2. Asana – Best for Managing Multiple Projects
🔹 Why It’s Great: If you handle custom orders, wholesale accounts, and social media marketing, Asana makes it easy to track multiple projects at once.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Create project templates for repeat tasks (like setting up new custom orders)
✅ Assign tasks & subtasks to keep things organized
✅ Automate workflows for repetitive steps
✅ View your tasks in a list, board, or calendar format
👉 Try Asana for Free: https://asana.com/
🔥 Pro Tip: Set up weekly or monthly dashboards to see what’s pending, in progress, and completed at a glance!
3. Notion – Best for All-in-One Business Organization
🔹 Why It’s Great: Notion is a powerful tool that combines task management, notes, databases, and collaboration all in one place.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Customizable dashboards for orders, clients, and inventory
✅ Keep all your business notes, SOPs, and templates in one place
✅ Track customer details and follow-ups
✅ Embed spreadsheets, product links, and design files
👉 Try Notion for Free: https://www.notion.so/
🔥 Pro Tip: Use pre-made business templates to get started faster!
4. ClickUp – Best for Scaling Your Business
🔹 Why It’s Great: ClickUp is perfect for growing businesses that need custom workflows, automation, and team collaboration.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Custom dashboards to track sales, orders, and marketing in one place
✅ Automated reminders & notifications for due dates
✅ Built-in goal tracking for business growth
✅ Time tracking for monitoring project completion times
👉 Try ClickUp for Free: https://clickup.com/
🔥 Pro Tip: Use ClickUp’s order tracking template to keep all customer orders organized!
5. Airtable – Best for Managing Inventory & Orders
🔹 Why It’s Great: If spreadsheets and databases are your thing, Airtable makes it super easy to manage inventory, track orders, and even plan social media content.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Organize product inventory, pricing, and stock levels
✅ Track custom orders, shipping status, and customer details
✅ Create automated workflows for repetitive tasks
✅ View data as a spreadsheet, gallery, or Kanban board
👉 Try Airtable for Free: https://airtable.com/
🔥 Pro Tip: Use Airtable Automations to notify you when stock runs low or an order status changes!
6. Monday.com – Best for Team Collaboration
🔹 Why It’s Great: If you have a small team or work with virtual assistants, Monday.com helps keep everyone on the same page.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Assign tasks and set priorities for different team members
✅ Track order fulfillment and shipping progress
✅ Automate follow-ups and client communications
✅ Integrates with Shopify, Slack, and Google Drive
👉 Try Monday.com for Free: https://monday.com/
🔥 Pro Tip: Set up color-coded priority levels so urgent tasks stand out!
7. HoneyBook – Best for Client & Order Management
🔹 Why It’s Great: If you take custom orders or work on commissions, HoneyBook is an all-in-one client management tool that helps with invoicing, contracts, and communication.
📌 Best Features for Entrepreneurs:
✅ Send branded invoices & contracts (without using separate tools)
✅ Automate order confirmation emails & follow-ups
✅ Track client payments & project milestones
✅ Accept deposits & payments online
👉 Try HoneyBook for Free: https://www.honeybook.com/
🔥 Pro Tip: Use pre-made contract templates to protect your business and streamline your workflow!
Final Thoughts: The Right Tools = A More Productive Business 🚀
Whether you’re running a one-person shop or managing a growing team, the right project management tools can save you time, reduce stress, and help your business grow.
✅ Need a simple system? → Trello or Notion is great for starters!
✅ Handling lots of orders? → Asana or ClickUp helps you stay on top of tasks.
✅ Tracking inventory & customers? → Airtable or HoneyBook makes it easy.
✅ Have a team? → Monday.com keeps everyone in sync.
💬 What tools do you use to manage your business? Let’s chat in the comments! 🚀
