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I’m a sucker for efficiency. I mean, we’re busy. We have to-do lists that feel like there’s no end in sight and are trying to juggle not only our businesses but our life and our sanity. Well, thank goodness we live in a time where there are literally hundreds of applications that can help make things easier. It’s too easy to get stuck in application purgatory trying to find what will make you more productive while, well, not really being productive. I’ll be the first to admit I’ve waisted so much time trying out different things just for the heck of it. Don’t get me wrong you should test things out but to streamline things a bit here is a list of 5 must-have resources for your business.
1. Canva
Please don’t shoot me. I know as a designer this is basically blasphemy for me to recommend or even admit that I use Canva. (Don’t worry I still use Illustrator for my big projects). You don’t have to be a designer to use this so if you aren’t, don’t worry.
With social media, we need so many templates whether it’s for Pinterest, Instagram, and stories or blog posts (yeah my graphic was made with Canva). Even outside of social media, need a fancy on-brand document or a place to create a freebie?
Literally you can create something in minutes quick and easy. Better yet, you can create templates so you can just pop in your text, swap out a photo and now we’re talking seconds.
I include Canva templates for social media in all of my design packages so my clients can stay on brand and worry-free. Just a note the free Canva is really all you need. They have a 30-day free trial and the only thing I’ve used is the upload purchased fonts feature for some of my brand fonts. But they have so many font options I wouldn’t pay just for that.
2. Skillshare
I really think this is one of the biggest and best resources for your business. If you haven’t heard about Skillshare I’m about to change your life. Skillshare basically provides so many quality educational videos on a ginormous range of topics.
You want to solidify your skills or learn something new, this is your place. I’m pretty sure I’ve bookmarked like half their videos to watch later.
I have been binging videos and learning everything from bookkeeping to DSLR photography and everything creative business-related. I love how their videos range from super informative 30min bit size to nitty-gritty dense learning.
They have workshops that you can join and work on projects and collaborate with other individuals. It’s literally the #1 bookmarked site on my computer. It’s honestly dethroned YouTube as my primary how-to resource. Some recommendations I have are:
- Anything by John Morris if you work with clients/freelance
- Copywriting for Beginners
- Fundamentals of Portrait Photography
- Being Your Own Boss: Strategies in Launching Your Creative Career
Honestly, business aside this is a great place to just learn cool stuff and finding a hobby like bullet journaling, calligraphy, and the likes. You can use my link here to get 2 free months.
3. Trello
I’m an organization freak. Like, it’s actually kind of sad. I can and probably will do a whole talk on my whole organization system because I have been a guinea pig to a hundred different methods.
I love Trello for so many reasons. You can create a board and organize, checklists, documents, calendar items, the works, in a really easy on the eyes method.
You know when you have a really long list that just stresses you out looking at it? Well with Trello I create cards for each to-do item. I then organize them into columns to show what I have to get done, what’s in progress, what I have to do today and what’s done.
I use this to organize workflows for clients (yes you can share a board to work with someone else), projects and my weekly to-do list. I honestly can go into a whole rant on how useful this is and the millions of ways you can use it.
4. Honeybook
Here’s the thing, if you work with clients, managing invoices, emails, contracts, e-signatures, workflows, questionnaires, templates, (is my list long enough yet?) while using different applications for each of these, that can quickly turn into a nightmare. Honeybook is one of the most effective resources for your business.
Having a one-stop-shop CRM (client relationship management) system can make things a lot easier so you can focus more on your work rather than juggling logistics.
I would especially recommend this if you have a creative business because you can send proofs for client revision without having to hand over files and can have clients approve right through their client portal. Oh gosh and I almost forgot it helps you stay on brand I mean that’s basically a necessity, right? If you’re interested in using Honeybook use my code to get 50% off your first year.
5. Airtable
I literally just started using Airtable but it has been really practical. Basically, you can create something called a base to manage projects. I use Airable to organize my social media.
So this is how it looks: your base can toggle between different layouts. Firstly, you have a spreadsheet layout I use this, for example, to write out my blog post ideas. I create columns to include progress tracking, blog category, and date due. I can then switch this same list into a calendar view to see the due dates. There’s also a gallery and kanban view (similar to Trello cards). It’s super helpful to see information in these different formats, you can really tailor how it would be most useful for you.
Well, there you have it. 5 really helpful resources for your business. Give them a try and let me know what you think. What are your staples?
