I’m all about using tools to make my life and business run more smoothly! And, I’m guessing you clicked this post because you are too. These are my favorite tools for running my business day in and day out!
Resources For Organization + Task Management
Todoist
Todoist is my day to day task manager. I’ve tried MANY task management apps (both paid and free) and Todoist beats them all. There is an iPhone and computer app. It’s free to use with an optional premium upgrade!
Dubsado
My one-stop-shop to send invoices, contracts, proposals, questionnaires, designs for approval and so much more! You can set up an account for free to try it out for 2 weeks. Get 20% off your first month with my code “speaksocial” at checkout. 🙂
Evernote
Evernote is my favorite way to take quick notes for every part of my life and organize them with folders and tags for easy finding! I use Evernote to store any notes I’ll need on-the-go such as grocery lists, passwords, quick thoughts, and call notes.
GSuite // Google Drive
GSuite is where my business lives. I use Google Docs to write website content and store client notes. I use Google Spreadsheets for my accounting and for creating content calendars. I use Google Chat for video calls. And most importantly, I host my business email with my domain through Gmail for just $5 per month.
Trello
There are about a million ways to use Trello! I'm totally still learning, but right now I use Trello to organize my processes through boards. It's a great checklist holder for things you do in your business over and over again. I have a workflow checklist for branding projects, writing/publishing blog posts and so much more!
Calendly
If you have ever scheduled a call with me, then you did so through Calendly! It eliminates the email tag game when it comes to scheduling meetings, especially on different time zones. It's the ultimate meeting time saver!
Resources For Finances
QuickBooks
I use QuickBooks Self-Employed to help me do everything from day to day accounting to paying (yucky) quarterly taxes. It makes the confusing financial part of running a business a little easier! Plus, if you work with an accountant you can invite them to your account and have everything ready to go right there!
Betterment
Thinking about retirement and investing yet? You should be. About a year after becoming self-employed, I opened a SEP IRA (Simplified Employee Pension IRA) and started investing as much as I could afford each month. I tried a couple different investment companies before Betterment. The others were difficult to use and confusing to me as a “non-finance” person. Betterment takes the confusion out of investing and turns it into a clear and EASY process. I’m a super fan!
Resources For Your Home on the Web
GoDaddy
My favorite spot to buy domain names. I love that GoDaddy offers the new Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs). You can get a domain that is specific to your business. Extension examples: .photography, .agency, .attorney, .shop, .design, .business. They have terrific customer service - I have called them many times in need of help and gotten to talk to an actual person almost immediately! GoDaddy is also excellent for website hosting.
Showit
The latest platform to hold my heart! Showit allows me to build beautiful 100% custom and responsive websites for my clients. In my opinion, Showit is built for creative designers, and I’m so excited to be using it!
WordPress
WordPress.org is my go-to website platform for blogging, and the place where this blog lives! It’s perfect for total customization and easy posting.
Disclaimer: Some of these links are affiliate links, which means I receive a small discount or payment for referring you (which I completely appreciate!) and you will also receive a free offer or discount to try it out. I wholeheartedly endorse these brands and I only share products or services that I believe are worth the investment and that I use for my own business.
I'll be updating this list periodically as I discover new tools to share with you!
October 3, 2017
[…] Drive is perhaps my very favorite business tool. I use it for content calendars, bookkeeping, writing my website content, sharing files with […]
I hadn’t heard of ShowIt. It looks awesome! Do you know if their photo compression is comparable to SmugMug? SmugMug is a total pain in the ass to work with, but I know a lot of photographers say its photo compression is the best out there.
I LOVE Dubsado!! It’s amazing, such a lifesaver!! 🙂
AMAZING! You get an A+ at supporting fellow entrepreneurs! 🙂
Great list! Have you checked out Millanote? I’m really visual, and I LOVE how organized it keeps my ideas.
Thanks for the list. Saving this one for later.