8 Top Tools to Help Run Your Online Business
Okay, confession time: I love discovering and trying out new online tools or apps. There's something about finding new ways to help build and grow my business more efficiently that I can't resist. If I can find something that saves me time from doing a repetitive task or that automates it completely for me? I'm there.
So coming up with this list was a little bit of a challenge because to be honest, there are almost too many to mention. Finding the right online tools that fit with my businesses and my processes has certainly involves LOTS of trial and error but I'm happy to have found some constants that I use on an almost daily-basis. Feel free to check them out and apply them to your own businesses to see if they work for you.
Squarespace
This one is such an obvious choice, I know since I practically "live" in Squarespace.. but there really is no denying how fabulous it is. I love how much it has to offer. It's got everything from an all-in-one web builder to email marketing and even membership areas. Its user-friendly platform plus the gorgeous templates that are already available make it such a great place for both budding entrepreneurs to seasoned ones.
Notion
As you can imagine, I've tried out a LOT of project management tools. From traditional pen and paper to Asana, Trello and Basecamp. But I have to say that so far, Notion has firmly claimed a space in my web designer heart. It's become my all-in-one workplace for my notes, content, project management and even client portals. It's even allowed me to store code for my Squarespace designs to the extent I ahve my own code directory which I can call on at any time.
Vimeo
Vimeo has been a great place to store video for ages, but recently they started offering a screen record feature which is super handy. Shooting quick videos has been such a game changer for how I communicate and serve my clients. I use screen recordings for everything: onboarding, walking a client through maintenance processes, quick troubleshoots or even just to answer their questions. It's really helped me raise the level of experience I offer my clients.
Screencastomatic
This has been one of my real game changer tools. In 2020 I started recording videos for my online courses and it is hands down the easiest and most intuitive tool I've used. Not only is it easy to screen record (this is just essential and most tools offer this) but its the post editing tools which are just fantastic. You can cut and blur video in no time making my videos look professional in no time and meaning the quality of videos I provide for my course attendess is just that much better. Lastly, but very important none the less, it's bonkers value for money. So if you're a course creator get involved it's just the best.
Thrivecart
I’ve been on a hunt for the right software to process payments for a while now and I’ve been really pleased with what I’ve found with Thrivecart. It’s easy-to-use templates and how it integrates with lots of different options have been such a huge help, plus it is currently at a lifetime offer which makes it totally worth it to get 0% charges on payments. One of the things I really love is the opportunity to collaborate with others and offer joint venture payments, so clever and presents so many opportunities.
Xero
When someone mentioned Xero as the "accounting tool for non-accountants", I was sold. It has a single ledger, with a flexible and intuitive interface that gives me a clear picture of how my business finances are doing without too much mental gymnastics involved. The only downside is that they don't offer a free tier, though I do think the tool is brilliant and worth the purchase.
GSuite
The GSuite is always one of the first things I'd recommend an aspiring entrepreneur should get, because of how much it has to offer and how ubiquitous it practically is now. Google Drive and Gmail specifically play such a big part in my business with how I communicate and keep things organized. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides all sync up making everything up-to-date and online for you and your team to work on at any time, which saves space on your hard drive. It's a win-win for me.
I find a lot of inspiration for both my personal life and business on Pinterest, but l also love using it as a collaboration tool with clients. I usually create a secret board with them so we can both share pins for colour palettes and design inspiration for their site. It's also a fantastic marketing tool that I'm planning on focusing on this year as well.
Canva
Canva has been growing by leaps and bounds since it came out in 2012. There are so many beautiful templates available nowadays for everything from social media graphics to presentation slides. Canva's templates are so easy to use, all you or your team need to do is just plug in the right image or fonts that you need and you can create gorgeous designs on your own without having to wrestle with layers upon layers in Photoshop.
So there you have it, those are my top tools for running my business.
Did any on this list make it to your own or are there any that you'd like to try out? I'd love to hear what you think or if there was any thing I might have missed out on.
