Being a small business, or even solopreneur, can be very challenging at times. Over the past few years I’ve tried many different programs and websites to help me run my company. Below are the 7 best small business resources that I’ve used in my 3 years of business. Do you have a favorite not on the list? Let me know! I always love learning about new ways to help my business succeed. (This is not a sponsored post, I just want to share my process of efficiency & time management!) I use these resources every day in my business, because the goal is always working smarter, not harder!
1. Asana – An online project management tool that enables companies to manage and organize tasks and projects, communicate and collaborate. It is helpful for teams or individuals that handle multiple projects at one time. Asana has been the ONE system that I use to jot down my goals, to-do’s , projects, systems, outlines, notes, reminders, pretty much everything! It is very user-friendly and the app gives you notifications right to your phone.
2. Evernote – Capture and prioritize ideas, projects, and to-do lists, so nothing falls through the cracks. Evernote is the perfect note taking tool. You can create various notebooks depending on the topic and within each notebook is where you create your notes. Evernote has numerous templates from budgeting to project notes and even a gratitude journal. I have personal & business notebooks that I use and sync to my phone. I love using Evernote because it is the best way to take notes during client phone calls and meetings, as well as plan out each blog post I create for my website.
3. Dropbox – Dropbox is a file hosting service that I use on a daily basis. It is the best way to send design files and keep a backup of projects. You can organize your projects into different files and share them with whoever you need to either directly or by sending a link. Dropbox has a great app that syncs with your folders online giving you easy access to your files on your phone too!
4. Bit.ly – Bitly is a URL shortening service and a link management platform. You can customize your URL & shorten it to use on social media posts, emails & more to clean up space and keep readers from seeing a really long URL. Bitly is also a powerful online marketing tool used to track clicks, see site referrals and get an idea of which geographical locations most clicks are coming from.
5. Unsplash– This is hands down the best free photography site that I’ve seen. Stock images can get expensive for both you and your clients, try first to see if Unsplash has any images that you would be able to use. More precisely, Unsplash grants you an irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide copyright license to download, copy, modify, distribute, perform, and use photos from Unsplash for free, including commercial purposes, without permission from or attributing the photographer.
6. Google Analytics – Google Analytics is a free tool that can help you track your digital marketing effectiveness. It provides statistics and basic analytical tools for search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing purposes. If your website doesn’t have google analytics – I recommend setting it up now! It is super easy to set up, all you need is a google account. Google analytics will give you a tracking code that you add into your website and then start tracking number of page clicks, show your most viewed pages, geographical locations & so much more all for free!
7. Font Squirrel or Dafont – Both of these sites have amazing free fonts. It can sometimes be hard to find quality free fonts that are licensed for commercial work. Font Squirrel has hand-selected typefaces that will make sure every project has the type of font you need from beautiful thin sans-serifs to chunky serifs! Dafont also has a way to search for only 100% free fonts to make sure you do not come into any licensing problems.
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