5 ways to help your small business thrive with Google Drive

With more than 4 million new US business applications in 2024, small businesses work hard every day to stay relevant and competitive. Sometimes finding the right information quickly, or keeping all your important files and project folders organized in one place, can mean the difference between growing as a business or falling behind. There are so many great examples of how small businesses around the world — and across each of the 50 states — use Google Workspace and tools like Google Drive to move their businesses forward.

Here are 5 ways your small business can use Drive to thrive:

1. Get up to speed on your important projects in seconds with Gemini in Drive

Instead of manually digging through hundreds of files and folders to learn about a project, use Gemini in Drive to get a summary of a long document or an entire project folder. You can even ask Gemini specific questions about a folder, like “What was the budget for last quarter’s social media campaign?”, making it easier to get the right details without searching through all your documents.

2. Find the right files when you search with Gemini in Drive

When you have a lot of files but don’t remember the contents of each document, Gemini can help you find the right file. If you’re in a rush to find a presentation or your notes before a meeting, you can use Gemini in the side panel of Drive to quickly pull up the file you need based on a simple prompt. Simply prompt the search with something like “Find my Tax Forms 941 and 1040” or “Show me the presentation about my Google Ads strategy for 2025” and have the files ready in seconds.

3. Draft and sign contracts effortlessly with eSignature

Rather than using multiple applications to draft a contract, send it out to collect signatures, and then re-upload the final copy for storage, you can do it all in Google Drive. You can easily upload PDF contracts to Drive or draft new contracts in Docs, save them as reusable contract templates, and collect signatures and additional information from signers (e.g. job titles). Now all your vendors, manufacturers, customers, and employees can quickly renew their contracts without missing a beat.

4. Keep your project files organized and collaborative with shared drive

Keeping project files organized can be tricky, especially if your employees or contractors leave the company and you no longer have access to all the files they owned. Using a shared drive for projects and teams ensures you still have access to files, even if their creators leave your organization, since shared drive files belong to the team instead of an individual. So if a manager leaves after creating onboarding documents, the files will still be available for easy access if they’re stored in a shared drive.

5. Scan your paper documents and access them anywhere with the Google Drive mobile app

Google Drive’s scanner is a simple way to keep your documents organized and accessible from anywhere. Available in the Google Drive mobile app, it converts receipts, notes, and multi-page paperwork into PDFs for easy storage and sharing. You can even search your Drive for the uploaded PDFs, so you can quickly find a scanned receipt from a business trip when you’re ready to submit your expenses.

Google Drive offers a powerful, streamlined way to manage information, collaborate effectively, and boost productivity. It’s more than just file storage; it’s a central hub for your small business to stay organized. Transform how you work with Drive to free up valuable time and resources to focus on what truly matters: growing your business.