You’ve seen the benefits of a business dashboard – a clear view of your company’s health in one place. But for startups and growing businesses, expensive software might not be in the budget. Fear not, entrepreneurs! Here are some fantastic free and affordable tools to build your dream dashboard:
- Looker Studio (Aka Google Data Studio earlier): This free tool by Google lets you connect to various data sources (think Google Analytics, spreadsheets) and create beautiful, customizable dashboards. It’s drag-and-drop friendly, making it perfect for individual users, small businesses and teams.
There is a Looker Studio Pro (paid) version also available with enterprise level features with either user level or organizational level licenses.
- Zoho Analytics: Zoho offers a free on-prem single user plan with enough features to get you started. It connects to popular business apps and databases and allows you to create interactive dashboards with insightful reports. Plus, you can upgrade to a paid plan for more advanced features as you scale.
- Microsoft Power BI Desktop: This free desktop application lets you connect to a wide range of data sources and build stunning dashboards with powerful data visualization tools. While it requires a bit more technical know-how, it offers immense flexibility for growing businesses.
There are many similar tools available in the market like the three mentioned above.
However, based on the ecosystem you select, for example, if you use google workspace and other google tools you can start to build your business dashboard using Looker Studio. This can start with the free plan and scale up as your business grows into a multi-million dollar business.
If you prefer to be on the Microsoft 365 plan and taking advantage of the tools within Microsoft, then it makes sense to stick to Power BI and scale from the free plan to Pro and premium plans as you scale up. Similar is the case with Zoho Analytics.
Building Your Dashboard for Success:
- Identify Your Goals: What do you want to achieve with your dashboard? Track sales growth? Monitor customer satisfaction? Knowing your goals helps you choose the right metrics.
- Choose Your Data Sources: Connect your dashboard to relevant sources like Google Analytics, CRM software, and financial spreadsheets.
- Pick Your Metrics: Select the key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your goals. Focus on a handful of impactful metrics to avoid information overload.
- Design Your Dashboard: Use drag-and- drop features or templates to create a visually appealing and easy-to-understand layout. Charts, graphs, and gauges can bring your data to life.
Benefits for Startups & MSMEs:
- Save Time & Money: Free or affordable tools eliminate the need for costly software, freeing up resources for other areas.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Gain insights from your data to make informed choices about marketing, sales, and overall business strategy.
- Improved Focus: Stay focused on what matters most by visualizing key metrics that drive growth.
- Team Alignment: Share your dashboard with your team to foster a culture of data-driven decision making and keep everyone on the same page.
Remember: Your business dashboard is a living document. As your company evolves, so should your dashboard. Regularly revisit your goals, metrics, and design to ensure it continues to serve you well.
Whichever analytics tools you opt for will help you build the dashboards, process the data accurately, distribute the analytics automatically and trigger alerts for your team.
By leveraging these tools and following these steps, you can build a powerful business dashboard that propels your startup or MSME towards success.
Now, go forth and conquer your data, entrepreneurs!
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