What’s one non-business app that you can’t live without as a busy entrepreneur?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.
1. Umano
“Umano is a new app that reads the news to you from your favorite news sources. I love it because I can stay abreast of what is going on in the world concerning a subject that I’m interested in. They update the articles daily, and you can push the most interesting articles to your phone.”
– Lawrence Watkins, Great Black Speakers
2. Captio
“Captio takes the hassle out of sending yourself notes on the go. Open, write and send – just two easy clicks. It’s far fewer than opening your email client, typing in your address, etc. It has quickly become a staple in my app arsenal!”
– Jenny Blake, Life After College
3. 9 Innings
“We have so much news and business jargon thrown at us every day, it is sometimes nice to have something to relax with. For me, it is the baseball app 9 Innings, which we take even further as a company by seeing who can create the best team. However, any game that can lead to even a few minutes of much-needed relaxation would suffice.”
– Bryan Silverman, Star Toilet Paper
4. GymPact
“GymPact allows you to actually penalize yourself monetarily by not working out, and you can also earn money when you do exercise. Staying in shape can help you perform at a higher level when running your business, and this app may provide the incentive needed to stay active.”
– Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
5. Sudoku
“It probably sounds weird, but I use Sudoku to “wind down.” It’s an easy way to take a break for a few minutes, regain focus, remind myself that the world has order and that there are logical paths to follow.”
– Emily Eldridge Holdman, The Remarkables
6. Audible
“My favorite non-business app is Audible. As a young entrepreneur, I’m an avid learner. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to make time for reading. Audible has been a life-saver. I can listen to books during non-productive times, like when I’m driving to work or washing dishes. I love having the flexibility to listen while I’m doing other things.”
– Sarah Schupp, UniversityParent
7. Turntable.fm
“I do my best work when I have music to listen to all day long. It keeps me positive and energized, regardless of how boring some of my projects are. Turntable.fm allows me to listen to music from my favorite DJs while taking care of business. Waiting in line at the post office or filling out government forms is much more enjoyable when you have your favorite music to amp you up.”
8. Path
“I love keeping in touch with my family through Path. The UX is superb, the interactions are intimate, and I’ve been able to get even the most cynical of family members engaged with it. Group SMS messaging can get messy and unwieldy really fast, so I really appreciate the sophistication of having a super-selective social network for just my close friends and family.”
9. Zite
“In the era of information overload, I simply feed in the keywords that I’m interested in receiving articles about, and Zite shows me articles that I want to read. Works every time!”
10. Sleep Pillow Sounds
“I discovered my favorite non-business app in my sleep – literally! I downloaded a white noise app, Sleep Pillow Sounds, to help block out my husband’s snoring so I could sleep at night. This app offers more than 20 different sounds and volume control. Not only do I wake up refreshed each morning, but the app is very useful for blocking out distractions when I need to focus on important work tasks, too.”
– Jay Wu, Best Drug Rehabilitation
11. Pinterest
“Don’t laugh, but I really enjoy Pinterest. I don’t have a lot of friends on Facebook, and my News Feed doesn’t update that much, but I can spend lots of time on Pinterest. I look at house projects, cars, quotes, etc. So while my wife is watching TV, I sit with her and look at Pinterest.”
