There are so many tools available to make life easier for small business owners! Figuring out which ones best suit you and your business can be challenging and time consuming.
Robin to the rescue!
I love helping other business owners, so I’m sharing 5 of my favorite business tools and why I love them. In no particular order, these are the tools that I use the most and would highly recommend to any small business owner.
1 – Flodesk (Email Marketing Platform)
When I decided to begin email marketing, I signed up with an Email Marketing System (EMS) that came highly recommended to me. The price was right for my budget, but I was soon very overwhelmed trying to figure out how to use it.
Then along came Flodesk!
I jumped in on the beta phase and it was love at first email! Because it didn’t actually have all of the bells and whistles yet, it was so easy to figure out. And the customer support was great whenever I had questions. I was then able to learn the new features as they were added.
I imagine the learning curve is a little steeper now when joining as a new user, but I still think it’s fairly simple to use.
And have you seen their templates? It’s oh so easy to create emails that are on-brand and beau-ti-ful!
Another great feature I love about Flodesk is their free hosting of documents. Anytime I have a great freebie to send to my subscribers, I attach the pdf to a button in the email. Then with a single click it’s ready for them to download. Easy peasy!
Flodesk is about to launch out of beta, so if you’re in need of an EMS, now is the time to check them out! Sign up for a 30 Day FREE TRAIL before November 2nd to lock in a 50% savings AND unlimited emails and subscribers for the lifetime of your subscription!
It’s only $19/mo, plus you can get your very own affiliate link to earn free months.
2 – Pixifi (Business Management Software)
While I always recommend trying out a few CRMs (Client Relationship Management Systems) to find one that’s a good fit for you and your business, I have lots of good things to say about Pixifi!
It does everything I need AND MORE! Contracts, invoicing, booking, email templates, workflows, scheduling – everything you need to run your business smoothly and provide a great customer experience.
Pixifi is designed with creative entrepreneurs in mind and is perfect for many different service-oriented businesses, such as photographers, designers, event planners, florists, and hair and make up artists.
Admittedly, Pixifi’s robust, feature-full system can be a bit overwhelming at times. It takes some persistence and effort to learn how to use and get it all set up. But it’s so worth it in the end!
And if you need help, it’s always available! Answers can be found in the Facebook group, either from other members, admins or even Tim Hussey himself, the owner and developer of the platform. In fact, on more than one occasion he’s been known to make immediate updates and improvements to the system based on our requests or issues. I’m not sure you can find better customer service!
If you’re looking for business management software, you should definitely give Pixifi a try! Just visit their website to sign up for a 30-day free trial.
3 – Canva (Graphic Design)
If you need graphics for your business (really, who doesn’t?) then YOU NEED CANVA IN YOUR LIFE!
I’d actually be surprised if you haven’t heard of or used it already. But just in case, I thought I better include it on my list. I wouldn’t want you to miss out!
Canva is your go-to FREE resource for designing graphics for all your business needs. Of course you can get a paid plan for additional features and graphic elements, but the free version is very robust.
Want a template for social media posts? Canva’s got ’em!
Need to create a beautiful customer guide or lead magnet? Canva’s your best friend!
Trying to design a new business card? There are templates for that, too!
When you join and create a design using THIS LINK, we both get to choose a premium photo, icon or illustration for free! So, if you haven’t yet tried it out, go have some designing fun right now!
4 – Plann (Social Media Scheduler)
I’ll be honest, I have yet to find a social media scheduler that does everything I’d like (for a price I’d like). But Plann comes pretty close and has worked the best for me so far.
One of my favorite features? It integrates with Canva! You can enter Canva via Plann and either create your post on the fly, or grab one you’ve already made.
I’m also thrilled that so far the free plan has met my posting needs (I only use it for Instagram). You’re allowed 30 posts per month and up to 120 uploads at any given time. You can post to stories and recently they added a planning space for Reels!
At some point, I’ll likely move over to a paid plan so I can start using it for Facebook, Linkedin and Pinterest as well.
If you want to try it out, sign up for a free account at https://www.plannthat.com/
5 – Showit (Website Platform)
Not a “tool” exactly, but my list would not be complete without a shout-out to Showit! I started out my business on another platform and quickly got frustrated with the limitations. So when I found Showit and tried it out, the move over (despite the higher price tag) was a no-brainer!
Showit is the perfect website builder for those who want complete creative control. The drag-and-drop features are extremely flexible and easy to use, allowing you to place everything exactly where you want it. Plus, you can add a WordPress blog. It’s the best of both worlds!
They have a number of free templates you can use as a starting off point, or there are lots of templates available for purchase from different designers. I started off with a free template and have made so many changes over the years that I’m pretty sure it’s now all my design (and I’m currently working on a rebrand, too!)
If you’re not loving your current platform, or are about to create a new website, go check them out at https://showit.co and sign up for a free 14-day trial.
There you have it, my top 5 favorite business tools! All of these have helped me so much and I honestly don’t know how I’d run my business without them. Each has contributed to improved efficiency, professionalism and client experience.
**While a few of these recommendations do contain affiliate links (I’ll get a commission if you purchase through them), I’m truly singing their praises because I use and love them – and I think you will too!**
Got questions? If you’d like any further info or input on any of these business tools, feel free to get in touch. You can find my contact info right here.
