The world is full of apps and tools… there are so many great things out there and I’m constantly trying to keep up. That said though, if something works for you, why replace it? There are a number of tools and apps that I use and I could truly say that these tools make a difference to my day and how I run my business. A lot of them are productivity tools but there are also other tools that are the foundation of my business. So today I’d like to share the six business tools I can’t live without.
WordPress
I’ve been using WordPress for quite a years now. It was the second blogging platform I used, after blogger, and I’ve not found anything better. WordPress offers many customisation options, and I would highly recommend going with the .org version so that you can have your own domain name and endless customisation options. My full website is built on WordPress and after playing around with a few things, I can now create websites using WordPress templates (including this site) and all that without ever learning to code! It’s very handy to be able to do things yourself, especially little fixes. I also have full control over my blog and all the plugins I use. If I want to add something quickly, I can do this myself rather than having to wait for a web designer to do this for me and then pay then to do it. I definitely recommend getting familiar with WordPress and learn how to do certain things. If things get too complicated and involve coding, I do engage the services of a designer or developer.
CoSchedule
I’ve only been using CoSchedule for a few months but already I’m hooked. Before using CoSchedule I would use HootSuite and Facebook Scheduler but now I don’t have to leave WordPress to schedule my blog posts to be sent to my social media channels. It’s such a time saver, creating and scheduling everything when I finish writing my blog post. Curious to see how I use CoSchedule for my business? Check out my tutorial on how to save time using CoSchedule for social media. (*CoSchedule has since suspended posting to Pinterest. I hope they can fix their issues soon)
Gmail
Many people recommend having a ‘professional’ email address with your business url, but I haven’t been brave enough to step away from Gmail. It’s just so convenient and I can segment and file things the way I want. At some stage I’ll get myself a ‘proper’ email address that I then setup in google mail, because I know it’s possible but for now I’m very happy with gmail’s services.
Evernote
I signed up to Evernote ages ago but didn’t use it much and couldn’t really be bothered to find the time to learn this new tool. Until a few months ago that is. Now I constantly use it, I write notes, I save articles, I create video scripts and organise my workflow with it. It’s such a great tool to keep everything in one place and be able to access it from any device I own. I couldn’t run my business without it, especially saving valuable resources, articles and videos and be able to find them again when needed. If there’s one tool worth investing in, it’s Evernote.
Dropbox
Here’s another tool I can absolutely not live without. I’ve been a long-time dropbox user, first growing my file storage organically by inviting others to use it and getting more space but I have recently upgraded my package and am now paying for the service. I don’t store any files on my computer and have been working like this for a very long time now. All my files are saved on dropbox and my devices are setup to store it on dropbox automatically. This means that I have access to all my files anywhere I go. If I need to email someone a file and I’m not at my computer, I just use the iPhone login and send them a link to the file. It’s so easy!
Xero
I have only started using Xero recently, because I really wanted to started my business with the right systems in place and I’m already loving it. In my previous businesses I either used excel spreadsheets (eek!) or MYOB but wasn’t happy with either methods so I asked around and Xero has so many raving fans that I couldn’t ignore this excellent accounting software. It’s so easy to use and there’s not much to setup, it’s literally sign up and go. I’ve given my accountant access too so we can work on things together and if I’m unclear about something I just give him a call, he’ll look at it and my problems are solved! Thank you Xero, for making things easy.
