If, like me, you’re setting up your business on a shoestring, I’m going to share with you the tools that I use.
Many tools come with free versions which means that you can try them out before investing, or just continue to use them to save money. The downside is that the free versions are often limited, but you will soon work out which tools you need to upgrade.
The following list is based on my own experience and doesn’t contain any affiliate links. In other words, I’m not being paid to promote these business, I’m giving you my personal observations.
Online Presence
You need to be found online, even if you’re market is local.
Social Media Accounts - I’ve included social media accounts because in the early days if you don’t have a website it’s possible to run your business through your Facebook account.
Google My Business – you can get a listing, even set up a free website.
Websites
I chose to use a free website when I first set up, as I wanted to showcase my services, and most importantly have a home for my blog.
WordPress: I’ve used the free version in the past to host a blog, and it’s a good way to get used to using WordPress.
Wix: I’m currently using the free version of Wix while I’m building my new site.
The downside of the free versions is that you don’t have your own domain, which I felt made my business look less professional. I also wanted to get my own email address linked to my domain name, which I think better suits my brand.
If you are thinking of starting out with a freebie bear in mind that printed marketing materials, such as business cards and flyers, will need to updated if and when you decide to upgrade.
Landing pages
Your website: You can build a landing page on your free site.
MailChimp: Personally I find the templates that MailChimp provide are a bit too tricky to edit. You need to get your head round using Mailchimp’s content blocks.
Design
Canva – If you haven’t discovered Canva yet I urge you to give it a go. You can design pretty much anything, download it in any format and use it everywhere! If you are intent on upping your visibility on social media it will help you to design on brand images to support all of your social media. I’ve recently upgraded to the pro version, but the free version was all I needed until recently.
Iconmonstr – I discovered this site only yesterday. I was designing my new business cards in Canva and wanted to create social media logos in my brand colours. In this site I could select the version of the logos that best suited my design, change the logos and download with a transparent background. Brilliant!
Creative Market – a fantastic site for finding all sorts of things for your creative work. You do need to pay for what you use, but they currently have a ‘Free Goods of the Week’ offer, which I’ve used in the past to pick up fonts for free.
Stock Photography
I recommend investing some money in a brand photo shoot, but if this is beyond your budget at the moment you will find yourself resorting to stock images. The problem I have with stock images is that they look like stock images! I do use them, and these are the best sites.
Wix – if you’re using Wix for your website there are a selection of stock photos to choose from.
Education / Research
Google – if you want to know how to do something, just Google it!
YouTube – If you’re a visual learner then You Tube should be your place to go for how to’s.
Pinterest – I love Pinterest; I think it’s a bit of an unsung hero. I usually go here for top line info, then try YouTube if I need further explanation.
Facebook Groups – these are great places to do market research. You may not be able to post questions or polls, always check with the group owner, but it’s a great place to listen and learn. I often find inspiration for my content from noting what people in groups are talking about, the issues they are facing and what is keeping them stuck.
Survey Monkey – if you want to do some market research you can use the free version of Survey Monkey, which allows up to 10 questions in a survey.
Google Forms – Another free option for research and info gathering.
Content Scheduling
Facebook – I tend to use Facebook’s own scheduling function.
Buffer – I use this from time to time, and it works really well. Its also great for easily charing your curated content.
MailChimp – I’ve been using MailChimp for years, and have been really happy with it. You can create emails, landing pages, post to social media accounts. As my business becomes more sophisticated and my list grows I may switch, but for now I’m sticking with the monkey.
Productivity
I need help to keep on top of things!
Trello – this is a fantastic way to manage your to do list, plan projects and generally make sure that you’re doing what needs to be done! You set up boards, and on each board you add lists, within each list you add cards. Sounds complicated, but it’s actually really easy and you can organise your tasks to suit your working style. You can collaborate with others, attach files, send email notifications.
Toggl – This is a time tracking tool, which is great to track how much time you spend on your tasks. I use it to track how much time I spend working on my business, so that I have a record of how long tasks take. That way, if I am working with a client on a specific project I can give a truer estimate of how long it will take to complete a task.
Organisation and Communication
Calendly – A system for arranging meetings without emailing back and forth. The free version is fairly limited, and I think I will upgrade very soon. If you’d like to see it in practice you can take a look at my Discover Call booking system here.
Zoom – my preference over Skype. I use it for client meetings and webinars. One of the reasons that I’m upgrading to the paid version of Calendly is so that I can integrate my Zoom bookings, automating the process and freeing up my time.
We Transfer - A tool for sending and receiving large files. I like that you don't need to download it to your computer, unlike Dropbox. the downside is that if you forget to download the files that have been shared with you the link to them expires after a period of time.
Dropbox – another way to share large files that are too big to email.
Phew! That’s quite a list, and I get that it might seem a bit overwhelming at first. Take some time checking out the options, and any alternatives that I haven’t mentioned (Squarespace, Accuity, MailerlIte are just a few that spring to mind). Use the free versions to play around and get a feel for what it can do to you.
Tech is there to help, if you’re struggling either get some help or try another system. It shouldn’t make you feel stressed out and anxious, but should help to automate and simplify some of your business processes, leaving you more free time to do the things you love.
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