Being an entrepreneur and business owner is not for the faint of heart. The long hours alone can make us rethink our vision of being in business for “ourselves”. Isn’t that a funny statement? “Being in business for ourselves”?
The truth is that we are in business for our clients, our team, our vendors. We spend endless days and nights slaving to our enterprises to be sure that our clients are happy, our team is challenged, excited, engaged, and our vendors are paid.
In order to launch or scale our businesses, there are resources we need on our journey to success. It is so easy to get stuck trying to find the best tools to use in order to make our lives easier, faster and more profitable. So here is a list to make it all that much more simple.
Also, be sure to download the Cheatsheet | 10 Must Have Resources to Scale Your Business
Any link with a (*) next to the title is an affiliate link. This means I may make a small $ if you decide to use the service. I only recommend solutions that we use ourselves or that we have tested extensively.
10 Must Have Resources to Scale Your Business
1. Invoicing: Freshbooks*
I’ve been a fan and user of Freshbooks for years. We all need to get paid, yes? Well if you’re not getting paid, my friend you do not yet have a business… we are still in hobby-mode. But if you have a service, send estimates and invoices, I highly recommend Freshbooks. The interface is clean and user-friendly. Your customers have a login and dashboard as well (my favorite part). You can even see when your customers log in and when they view invoices.
2. Credit Card Processing: Stripe
Even if we are not a service provider or need to send invoices, we all still need to get paid. Yes, I have a PayPal account. I mean it’s only for clients who really want to use that method. But my preferred solution to collect and transfer my dinero is Stripe. This powerful little tool integrates with EVERYTHING!!! Okay, so nothing integrates with everything, but I have yet to run into a solution that I couldn’t collect my moolah by integrating with Stripe. Also, fees are low and transfers are seamless and fast.
3. Project Management: Asana
Historically, I’m a raving fan of Basecamp. I actually still have an account for family event planning and stuff… but that is only because they span multiple generations and getting them all onto a new platform would be painful. I’ve also dabbled in Trello, and as lovely as it is, it just was not the best fit for my OCD-type ways. The truth is, I LOVE a to-do list. I live for plans, dates, timelines and checking things off as they are complete. Asana delivers this experience seamlessly. And add in the amazing collaboration and user management, now we have the dream project management tool for entrepreneurs.
4. Productivity: Google App Suite*
Love! Love! Love! Okay, full transparency. I’m super afraid of big brother (Google) and how he scours our email and delivers our valuable demographics to the highest bidder. So I do not use them for email. Not that my fears are even valid… but as busy as I am, I would rather just avoid anything that causes me extra paranoia. With that out of the way, I love the rest of the Googke App Suite! Google Drive is amazing for storing, sharing and collaborating files across devices, team members, and clients. Google Sheets and Docs are staples in my processes. There is nothing that screams virtual work experiences like a Skype call and a google doc/sheet being edited to perfection by team members or clients. Amazing! And everyone has Google. Again with the transparency, I use Microsoft 365 for email, and I have the entire Excel, PowerPoint and Word suite. After trying to get the most bang for my buck with the Office 365 account, there were always issues with clients getting over the learning curve or access. Please don’t even let me get started on SharePoint. It seems to be getting better, but for me, it’s just not there yet.
5. Email Marketing: MailChimp*
As an entrepreneur or business owner, if our goal is to scale our business, we ALL need tools in place to grow our email list. It is truly the only marketing currency and audience we own. For those newer to list building, with a smaller list and simpler automation sequences, I recommend MailChimp as an email marketing tool. Their beginner plan is FREE, the tools are simple to use and the interface is beautiful.
6. Email Marketing: ActiveCampaign*
For those with a more extensive list and more complex automation sequences, I highly recommend ActiveCampaign. Again, it is easy to use and has a simple interface. ActiveCampaign will take your email marketing to the next level. Separate contacts into lists, automate sequences with a robust visual tool, use tagging for sequences and analyze interactive analytics reports. Depending on which plan you choose, ActiveCampaign also includes a CRM, Customer Relationship Management tool, allowing you to integrate your sales and marketing into one complete solution.
7. Website: WordPress
Now it is time to build your web presence, and I highly recommend WordPress. This content management system (CMS) is robust enough to host some of the world most popular websites, yet simple enough your toddler may be able to build your brand’s website with it. Have you seen what a toddler can do with an IPad these days? I do warn, if this is your first time using WordPress or building a website, there is a learning curve. You will need plugins, a theme, and patience to get your website just the way you love it. Check out the Resource Library for the Cheatsheet | Best Plugins to Use with WordPress. Also do not feel obligated to build your own website. If you are not a creative or web designer, hire someone! This will allow you to focus on being the subject matter expert, building products, selling services and making money.
8. Website Themes and Plugins: ThemeForest*
Now that we know the platform to build our website, we need the tools with which to build. This includes a theme and plugins mentioned previously. Envato.com is a suite of design assets. This includes website files, WordPress themes, WordPress plugins, Photoshop files (PSD), HTML files, animation files.
9. Creative Design: Adobe Creative Cloud*
For years, the leading software in the design world has been developed by Adobe. But until now, the cost of the tools kept them out of the hands of entrepreneurs and small business owners. Enters Adobe Creative Cloud. Now we have at our disposal the best design tools in the industry for a monthly fee of $49.00, including lifetime updates. This includes over 20 pieces of industry leading software, Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, Premiere, After Effects, Lightroom and more. If your business needs to deliver jaw dropping content offerings, social media artwork, videos, prints and more, the Adobe Creative Cloud is a tool you need in your arsenal. Again, if you are not the creative, and it would take too long to learn the tools, hire a designer or design team. If your budget is not there yet, get the tools, take a few pieces of training and hop in the Savvy Entrepreneur Private Facebook Community to ask questions.
10. Creative Assets: Creative Market*
Now that you have the tools to create amazing design, all you need are some assets. Creative Market is a platform where you can find creative assets for every project. Find icons, images, illustrations, mock-ups, web templates and more.
Wow!
I really wish this list was around when I first started or when it was time for me to scale my business. You will never believe how many hours and endless nights were spent searching, purchasing and testing these solutions. The goal is for you to bypass that entire process.
Don’t forget to download the Cheatsheet. Print it out and use it as a tool when needed.
This list is just a snapshot of what is needed. Do you have any tools to share with us?
