10 Best Tools to Set Up Your Small Business for Success
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. He's the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers.
Monday, July 14, 2025
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10 Best Tools to Set Up Your Small Business for Success
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. He's the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers.
Monday, July 14, 2025
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10 Best Tools to Set Up Your Small Business for Success
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. He's the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers.
Monday, July 14, 2025
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Tate Henshaw is an entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact in the world through financial literacy education. Headquartered in Atlanta, he is the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes navigate their careers. With more than 15 years of experience executing for GRAMMY winners, record labels, music companies, athletes, and international tech companies – Tate has earned the title of one of Top 40 Accountants in America by CPA Practice Advisor.
Tate’s clients are diverse and range from multi-platinum R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo to 6x NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, among other figures across all areas of music, movies, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. His areas of expertise include tax compliance, risk management, estate planning, and wealth management. On top of his day-to-day role, Tate is on the board of Georgia Music Partners – an organization whose mission is to promote both job growth and culture within the state to become one of the country’s best entertainment leaders. He also serves on the board of the Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition, cultivating a thriving sports innovation ecosystem in the state through strategic programs, initiatives, and partnerships.
Tate Henshaw is an entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact in the world through financial literacy education. Headquartered in Atlanta, he is the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes navigate their careers. With more than 15 years of experience executing for GRAMMY winners, record labels, music companies, athletes, and international tech companies – Tate has earned the title of one of Top 40 Accountants in America by CPA Practice Advisor.
Tate’s clients are diverse and range from multi-platinum R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo to 6x NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, among other figures across all areas of music, movies, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. His areas of expertise include tax compliance, risk management, estate planning, and wealth management. On top of his day-to-day role, Tate is on the board of Georgia Music Partners – an organization whose mission is to promote both job growth and culture within the state to become one of the country’s best entertainment leaders. He also serves on the board of the Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition, cultivating a thriving sports innovation ecosystem in the state through strategic programs, initiatives, and partnerships.
Tate Henshaw is an entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact in the world through financial literacy education. Headquartered in Atlanta, he is the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes navigate their careers. With more than 15 years of experience executing for GRAMMY winners, record labels, music companies, athletes, and international tech companies – Tate has earned the title of one of Top 40 Accountants in America by CPA Practice Advisor.
Tate’s clients are diverse and range from multi-platinum R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo to 6x NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, among other figures across all areas of music, movies, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. His areas of expertise include tax compliance, risk management, estate planning, and wealth management. On top of his day-to-day role, Tate is on the board of Georgia Music Partners – an organization whose mission is to promote both job growth and culture within the state to become one of the country’s best entertainment leaders. He also serves on the board of the Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition, cultivating a thriving sports innovation ecosystem in the state through strategic programs, initiatives, and partnerships.
Tate Henshaw is an entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact in the world through financial literacy education. Headquartered in Atlanta, he is the Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes navigate their careers. With more than 15 years of experience executing for GRAMMY winners, record labels, music companies, athletes, and international tech companies – Tate has earned the title of one of Top 40 Accountants in America by CPA Practice Advisor.
Tate’s clients are diverse and range from multi-platinum R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo to 6x NBA All-Star Blake Griffin, among other figures across all areas of music, movies, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. His areas of expertise include tax compliance, risk management, estate planning, and wealth management. On top of his day-to-day role, Tate is on the board of Georgia Music Partners – an organization whose mission is to promote both job growth and culture within the state to become one of the country’s best entertainment leaders. He also serves on the board of the Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition, cultivating a thriving sports innovation ecosystem in the state through strategic programs, initiatives, and partnerships.

Contributor
Tate Henshaw
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. Currently, he’s Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers. Tate also serves on the boards of Georgia Music Partners and Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition.
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Contributor
Tate Henshaw
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. Currently, he’s Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers. Tate also serves on the boards of Georgia Music Partners and Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition.
Read More

Contributor
Tate Henshaw
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. Currently, he’s Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers. Tate also serves on the boards of Georgia Music Partners and Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition.
Xero is the best accounting platform I’ve found for artists, managers, and growing indie teams. It’s built for entrepreneurs — simple dashboards, no accounting jargon, and powerful integrations with tools like Stripe and Relay. I prefer it over QuickBooks because most creatives actually use Xero once it’s set up. For artists taking the leap into real business, this is the right software.
Xero is the best accounting platform I’ve found for artists, managers, and growing indie teams. It’s built for entrepreneurs — simple dashboards, no accounting jargon, and powerful integrations with tools like Stripe and Relay. I prefer it over QuickBooks because most creatives actually use Xero once it’s set up. For artists taking the leap into real business, this is the right software.

xero
xero
Accounting
Xero is the best accounting platform I’ve found for artists, managers, and growing indie teams. It’s built for entrepreneurs — simple dashboards, no accounting jargon, and powerful integrations with tools like Stripe and Relay. I prefer it over QuickBooks because most creatives actually use Xero once it’s set up. For artists taking the leap into real business, this is the right software.
Xero is the best accounting platform I’ve found for artists, managers, and growing indie teams. It’s built for entrepreneurs — simple dashboards, no accounting jargon, and powerful integrations with tools like Stripe and Relay. I prefer it over QuickBooks because most creatives actually use Xero once it’s set up. For artists taking the leap into real business, this is the right software.
Relay is a modern digital business bank that makes it easy to separate funds, track income, and manage your cash flow clearly. It connects directly to Xero and supports multiple users — great for managers or labels handling several projects. While traditional banks with Sports & Entertainment divisions are worth exploring later, Relay is where I tell most people to start.
Relay is a modern digital business bank that makes it easy to separate funds, track income, and manage your cash flow clearly. It connects directly to Xero and supports multiple users — great for managers or labels handling several projects. While traditional banks with Sports & Entertainment divisions are worth exploring later, Relay is where I tell most people to start.

relay
relay
Banking
Accounting
Relay is a modern digital business bank that makes it easy to separate funds, track income, and manage your cash flow clearly. It connects directly to Xero and supports multiple users — great for managers or labels handling several projects. While traditional banks with Sports & Entertainment divisions are worth exploring later, Relay is where I tell most people to start.
Relay is a modern digital business bank that makes it easy to separate funds, track income, and manage your cash flow clearly. It connects directly to Xero and supports multiple users — great for managers or labels handling several projects. While traditional banks with Sports & Entertainment divisions are worth exploring later, Relay is where I tell most people to start.
atVenu is built specifically for managing tour merch. It helps with venue settlements, inventory tracking, and reporting — especially when you’re doing multiple dates or handling large orders. It’s become the standard for merch managers on the road and helps avoid costly mistakes at the merch table.
atVenu is built specifically for managing tour merch. It helps with venue settlements, inventory tracking, and reporting — especially when you’re doing multiple dates or handling large orders. It’s become the standard for merch managers on the road and helps avoid costly mistakes at the merch table.

atvenu
atvenu
Tour Logistics
atVenu is built specifically for managing tour merch. It helps with venue settlements, inventory tracking, and reporting — especially when you’re doing multiple dates or handling large orders. It’s become the standard for merch managers on the road and helps avoid costly mistakes at the merch table.
atVenu is built specifically for managing tour merch. It helps with venue settlements, inventory tracking, and reporting — especially when you’re doing multiple dates or handling large orders. It’s become the standard for merch managers on the road and helps avoid costly mistakes at the merch table.
As your business grows, managing invoices and payments becomes real work. BILL helps you stay on top of who you owe and who owes you — with approval flows, recurring payments, and solid recordkeeping. Some banks now offer this functionality, but BILL is cleaner and more scalable for managers and labels who are paying multiple vendors.
As your business grows, managing invoices and payments becomes real work. BILL helps you stay on top of who you owe and who owes you — with approval flows, recurring payments, and solid recordkeeping. Some banks now offer this functionality, but BILL is cleaner and more scalable for managers and labels who are paying multiple vendors.

bill
bill
Business Managers
Banking
As your business grows, managing invoices and payments becomes real work. BILL helps you stay on top of who you owe and who owes you — with approval flows, recurring payments, and solid recordkeeping. Some banks now offer this functionality, but BILL is cleaner and more scalable for managers and labels who are paying multiple vendors.
As your business grows, managing invoices and payments becomes real work. BILL helps you stay on top of who you owe and who owes you — with approval flows, recurring payments, and solid recordkeeping. Some banks now offer this functionality, but BILL is cleaner and more scalable for managers and labels who are paying multiple vendors.
If you hire employees — even one — do not run payroll manually. Gusto handles direct deposit, tax filings, onboarding, and compliance. It’s built for small teams and works great for agencies and management companies. Alternatives like ADP Run and Rippling are also solid, especially as your business gets more complex.
If you hire employees — even one — do not run payroll manually. Gusto handles direct deposit, tax filings, onboarding, and compliance. It’s built for small teams and works great for agencies and management companies. Alternatives like ADP Run and Rippling are also solid, especially as your business gets more complex.

gusto
gusto
Back Office (HR, Payroll etc)
If you hire employees — even one — do not run payroll manually. Gusto handles direct deposit, tax filings, onboarding, and compliance. It’s built for small teams and works great for agencies and management companies. Alternatives like ADP Run and Rippling are also solid, especially as your business gets more complex.
If you hire employees — even one — do not run payroll manually. Gusto handles direct deposit, tax filings, onboarding, and compliance. It’s built for small teams and works great for agencies and management companies. Alternatives like ADP Run and Rippling are also solid, especially as your business gets more complex.
Mileage is one of the easiest tax deductions to miss — especially for artists, tour managers, and anyone driving to shows. MileIQ runs in the background on your phone and logs your drives automatically. At tax time, you export your mileage report, hand it to your CPA, and you’re done. It’s one of the simplest ways to save money.
Mileage is one of the easiest tax deductions to miss — especially for artists, tour managers, and anyone driving to shows. MileIQ runs in the background on your phone and logs your drives automatically. At tax time, you export your mileage report, hand it to your CPA, and you’re done. It’s one of the simplest ways to save money.

mileiq
mileiq
Tour Logistics
Accounting
Mileage is one of the easiest tax deductions to miss — especially for artists, tour managers, and anyone driving to shows. MileIQ runs in the background on your phone and logs your drives automatically. At tax time, you export your mileage report, hand it to your CPA, and you’re done. It’s one of the simplest ways to save money.
Mileage is one of the easiest tax deductions to miss — especially for artists, tour managers, and anyone driving to shows. MileIQ runs in the background on your phone and logs your drives automatically. At tax time, you export your mileage report, hand it to your CPA, and you’re done. It’s one of the simplest ways to save money.
Stripe is my go-to for accepting payments online — especially for digital products, retainers, or recurring services. It integrates directly with Xero and is developer-friendly if you’re scaling. For on-the-ground payments or merch, Square is a great alternative, and PayPal Business is still widely accepted. But Stripe is best-in-class for modern creative businesses.
Stripe is my go-to for accepting payments online — especially for digital products, retainers, or recurring services. It integrates directly with Xero and is developer-friendly if you’re scaling. For on-the-ground payments or merch, Square is a great alternative, and PayPal Business is still widely accepted. But Stripe is best-in-class for modern creative businesses.

stripe
stripe
Workflow
Stripe is my go-to for accepting payments online — especially for digital products, retainers, or recurring services. It integrates directly with Xero and is developer-friendly if you’re scaling. For on-the-ground payments or merch, Square is a great alternative, and PayPal Business is still widely accepted. But Stripe is best-in-class for modern creative businesses.
Stripe is my go-to for accepting payments online — especially for digital products, retainers, or recurring services. It integrates directly with Xero and is developer-friendly if you’re scaling. For on-the-ground payments or merch, Square is a great alternative, and PayPal Business is still widely accepted. But Stripe is best-in-class for modern creative businesses.
"We use ROSTR constantly. It’s the best resource in the music business." - Marc Geiger, Chairman and CEO @ SaveLive
Music industry professionals use ROSTR to build their network, discover artists, save time & stay in the loop.
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ROSTR
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rostr-promoted-listing
Promoted
"We use ROSTR constantly. It’s the best resource in the music business." - Marc Geiger, Chairman and CEO @ SaveLive
Music industry professionals use ROSTR to build their network, discover artists, save time & stay in the loop.
Promoted-Listing
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ROSTR
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rostr-promoted-listing
Promoted
"We use ROSTR constantly. It’s the best resource in the music business." - Marc Geiger, Chairman and CEO @ SaveLive
Music industry professionals use ROSTR to build their network, discover artists, save time & stay in the loop.
Promoted-Listing
Promoted-Stack-Item
stack-launch
ROSTR
own
rostr-promoted-listing
Promoted
"We use ROSTR constantly. It’s the best resource in the music business." - Marc Geiger, Chairman and CEO @ SaveLive
Music industry professionals use ROSTR to build their network, discover artists, save time & stay in the loop.
Promoted-Listing
Promoted-Stack-Item
stack-launch
ROSTR
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Promoted
Starting and running a business — especially in music — is emotionally heavy. Backline provides mental health support tailored to artists and touring professionals. From counseling to peer groups, they’re doing vital work in a space that often gets ignored. I recommend it to every client.
Starting and running a business — especially in music — is emotionally heavy. Backline provides mental health support tailored to artists and touring professionals. From counseling to peer groups, they’re doing vital work in a space that often gets ignored. I recommend it to every client.

backline
backline
Charities & Non-Profits
Mental Health & Wellness
Starting and running a business — especially in music — is emotionally heavy. Backline provides mental health support tailored to artists and touring professionals. From counseling to peer groups, they’re doing vital work in a space that often gets ignored. I recommend it to every client.
Starting and running a business — especially in music — is emotionally heavy. Backline provides mental health support tailored to artists and touring professionals. From counseling to peer groups, they’re doing vital work in a space that often gets ignored. I recommend it to every client.
Setting up an LLC is a key first step, and while LegalZoom is fine, eMinutes is built specifically for entertainers and creators. They’ll guide you through formation with a deeper understanding of IP, royalties, and touring income. If you want peace of mind that your business is structured correctly, eMinutes is the better choice.
Setting up an LLC is a key first step, and while LegalZoom is fine, eMinutes is built specifically for entertainers and creators. They’ll guide you through formation with a deeper understanding of IP, royalties, and touring income. If you want peace of mind that your business is structured correctly, eMinutes is the better choice.

eminutes
eminutes
Legal
Business Managers
Setting up an LLC is a key first step, and while LegalZoom is fine, eMinutes is built specifically for entertainers and creators. They’ll guide you through formation with a deeper understanding of IP, royalties, and touring income. If you want peace of mind that your business is structured correctly, eMinutes is the better choice.
Setting up an LLC is a key first step, and while LegalZoom is fine, eMinutes is built specifically for entertainers and creators. They’ll guide you through formation with a deeper understanding of IP, royalties, and touring income. If you want peace of mind that your business is structured correctly, eMinutes is the better choice.
Ramp is a smart expense-tracking platform with built-in spend controls, cards, and real-time reporting. It’s great for small labels and management companies handling multiple budgets. Expensify is a good alternative if you want something simpler, but Ramp is the better long-term option if you’re scaling up.
Ramp is a smart expense-tracking platform with built-in spend controls, cards, and real-time reporting. It’s great for small labels and management companies handling multiple budgets. Expensify is a good alternative if you want something simpler, but Ramp is the better long-term option if you’re scaling up.

ramp
ramp
Accounting
Ramp is a smart expense-tracking platform with built-in spend controls, cards, and real-time reporting. It’s great for small labels and management companies handling multiple budgets. Expensify is a good alternative if you want something simpler, but Ramp is the better long-term option if you’re scaling up.
Ramp is a smart expense-tracking platform with built-in spend controls, cards, and real-time reporting. It’s great for small labels and management companies handling multiple budgets. Expensify is a good alternative if you want something simpler, but Ramp is the better long-term option if you’re scaling up.
LastPass – Your music business will end up with dozens of logins — PROs, distributors, banks, publishing platforms, ticketing services, and more. LastPass helps you keep those credentials secure, organized, and shareable with your team. It’s built for this. Don’t text passwords or rely on browser autofill.
LastPass – Your music business will end up with dozens of logins — PROs, distributors, banks, publishing platforms, ticketing services, and more. LastPass helps you keep those credentials secure, organized, and shareable with your team. It’s built for this. Don’t text passwords or rely on browser autofill.

lastpass
lastpass
Business Managers
LastPass – Your music business will end up with dozens of logins — PROs, distributors, banks, publishing platforms, ticketing services, and more. LastPass helps you keep those credentials secure, organized, and shareable with your team. It’s built for this. Don’t text passwords or rely on browser autofill.
LastPass – Your music business will end up with dozens of logins — PROs, distributors, banks, publishing platforms, ticketing services, and more. LastPass helps you keep those credentials secure, organized, and shareable with your team. It’s built for this. Don’t text passwords or rely on browser autofill.
Budgeting doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be real. I recommend Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets, depending on your email platform) because it gives you full control. Whether you’re planning a tour, a rollout, or a monthly burn, having a live, editable budget is essential to treating your career like a business.
Budgeting doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be real. I recommend Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets, depending on your email platform) because it gives you full control. Whether you’re planning a tour, a rollout, or a monthly burn, having a live, editable budget is essential to treating your career like a business.

excel
excel
Miscellaneous
Budgeting doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be real. I recommend Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets, depending on your email platform) because it gives you full control. Whether you’re planning a tour, a rollout, or a monthly burn, having a live, editable budget is essential to treating your career like a business.
Budgeting doesn’t have to be fancy — it just has to be real. I recommend Microsoft Excel (or Google Sheets, depending on your email platform) because it gives you full control. Whether you’re planning a tour, a rollout, or a monthly burn, having a live, editable budget is essential to treating your career like a business.
You’ll need a video call platform for meetings with labels, collaborators, and creative teams. Zoom is the most universally accepted option and works for almost every use case. Google Meet is great if you’re fully in the Google ecosystem, but Zoom is still the default.
You’ll need a video call platform for meetings with labels, collaborators, and creative teams. Zoom is the most universally accepted option and works for almost every use case. Google Meet is great if you’re fully in the Google ecosystem, but Zoom is still the default.

zoom
zoom
Video Platforms
AI Tools
You’ll need a video call platform for meetings with labels, collaborators, and creative teams. Zoom is the most universally accepted option and works for almost every use case. Google Meet is great if you’re fully in the Google ecosystem, but Zoom is still the default.
You’ll need a video call platform for meetings with labels, collaborators, and creative teams. Zoom is the most universally accepted option and works for almost every use case. Google Meet is great if you’re fully in the Google ecosystem, but Zoom is still the default.
This is a growing creative community that supports artists and teams through workshops, real talk, and shared resources. If you’re building a career in the music industry, this kind of peer support is invaluable. They’re helping build a healthier, more collaborative music ecosystem.
This is a growing creative community that supports artists and teams through workshops, real talk, and shared resources. If you’re building a career in the music industry, this kind of peer support is invaluable. They’re helping build a healthier, more collaborative music ecosystem.

24-7-artists
24-7-artists
Workshops & Masterclasses
This is a growing creative community that supports artists and teams through workshops, real talk, and shared resources. If you’re building a career in the music industry, this kind of peer support is invaluable. They’re helping build a healthier, more collaborative music ecosystem.
This is a growing creative community that supports artists and teams through workshops, real talk, and shared resources. If you’re building a career in the music industry, this kind of peer support is invaluable. They’re helping build a healthier, more collaborative music ecosystem.
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Other Stacks
Other Stacks
Other Stacks
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Contributor
Tate Henshaw
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. Currently, he’s Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers. Tate also serves on the boards of Georgia Music Partners and Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition.
Read More

Contributor
Tate Henshaw
Tate Henshaw is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and business management executive focused on making a generational impact through financial literacy education. Currently, he’s Co-Founder of ARC – a business management firm that helps entertainers and athletes such as Blake Griffin and Ne-Yo navigate their careers. Tate also serves on the boards of Georgia Music Partners and Georgia Sports Innovation Coalition.
Read More