Business tools
TOOLS I USE TO RUN MY ONLINE BUSINESS.
This page includes affiliate links. I only share affiliate links to products I love and have used myself. It doesn’t cost you any extra to click on a link, and means I may receive a thank you payment for the recommendation (and you might get a bonus too!)
my top 3 faves: your business best friends
These 3 tools are what I live and breathe in to run my business as an Online Service Provider that works in Marketing.
I’d heard about Dubsado from a business coach pal and was instantly curious. Turns out it’s amazing for any 1:1 services where you take clients from lead > proposal > onboarding > payment > offboarding. Perfect for marketing businesses and memberships that need a personal touch whilst taking out the repetition. You can actually get paid whilst you sleep with some snazzy workflows and automations!
OMG, this beaut of a project management system has done wonders for my business (and probably my mental health!) Excuse my tone but ClickUp literally 💩’s all over Trello, for its features and automations. As well as being a super fan personally, I have set it up for businesses with teams too and it’s a favourite for transparency, productivity and feeling at peace with big projects, daily tasks and lots of data.
I have tried them all as a Social Media Manager. The free ones & the really expensive ones. Metricool is positioned perfectly. Not mega costly (pretty cheap in fact) for multiple users and brands and and just really nice to use. Analytics save so much time for client reporting and the inbox function means you can slide out of the native apps and manage DMs and comments without wasting time scrolling.
other cool tools
I like to keep it simple. ClickUp and Dubsado help me manage clients, workload and replace so many other tools. Here are my other non-negotiables and great loves!
This is an obvious one! What would we do without Canva? Even with graphic designers in your team, every marketer needs some Canva skills for social media, emails, websites and to make branded videos.
Mailerlite is a favourite amongst service providers. I use it for my monthly newsletter and to create lead magnets to help build my email list. Simple to use and helps you stay consistent with email marketing.
Sign up to Mailerlite >>
Zapier connects different systems to help you pass data and take action with no coding! For example when you get a new customer in Dubsado, add to your ClickUp, mailing list and create a client Google workspace. MAGIC.
I use InShot for quick video edits – time-lapses, stitching together and cutting things out. It’s the best mobile video editing tool for simplicity. I use Canva for desktop edits where I need some design elements and consistent branding.
I hate video calls! Sorry to be negative but they aren’t my thing BUT I have come to the conclusion, Zoom is the one that everyone is familar with and integrates with my Dubsado scheduler. PS I love a voice note!
ClickUp has replaced a few things for me that Google Drive has – forms, some spreadsheets and google docs but for sharing assets and emails its still top trumps for me over dropbox and other email providers
Google Drive >> err just google it
finally, we all need a bit of help…
I’m a bit of a nerd. Way back when, I completed my CIM Diploma in my first marketing job and have done courses in Agile Project Management, Adobe and Meta Ads to name a few. I love memberships because of the support and specific knowledge you gain. Below I have listed which communities I am currently in or have been in the past (and loved at the time so I want to tell you about them!)
Kate Kurdziej has created an amazing community for online service providers like me, and possibly you too if you have some serious growth plans!
It’s provides all the support you need to implement systems and processes to grow your own business on profitable foundations and efficient systems without investing into a 4-figure team
I joined ‘MiMs’ when I had baby No.2 to figure out where the hell I was going to position myself in this crazy marketing world and found the best support and resources within the community. A grown up community with people that are ambitious with wicked sense of humour and will lift you up no matter what the issue is.
OK, Transparency – I’m no longer in the Inner Hub as I moved my business away from pure social media and have invested my time elsewhere but I want to give credit to the ‘Two Lauras’. They helped me shape my freelance business in marketing by training in Meta Ads and using their legendary toolkit which I still refer back to today, 4 years later! If you are a social media manager, I thoroughly recommend these guys – they know their sh*t!