I don’t claim to be a business guru or even someone you would want to model your creative entrepreneurship after. But I have found a few things (over the past several years of being in business for myself) that have made my life easier. Yes I could bore you with the countless things I’ve tried and the class-after-class i’ve taken. I’ll leave that for another time (I know you’re on the edge of your seat). What I AM going to talk about with you today are the FIVE online tools I use on a daily basis in my business. 

Now I’m all about a good bargain, so there’s only one thing below that isn’t free. Keep reading to find out what I use in my day-to-day business...

Wave

It’s a beautifully designed accounting system. Kinda like Quickbooks, but prettier… and free. Financials, taxes, sales/income categories, invoicing (though I don’t use it for that). 

Bonsai

or Hello Bonsai… I use Bonsai as my client management system. It’s tailor made for freelance designers and has built in proposals, contracts, invoices… and I can EVEN track my time in there (for jobs with an hourly rate) and invoice directly from the tracked time! WHAT? 

I know a lot of business owners use Honeybook or Dubsado for their client systems (and I’ve heard they’re SO easy to use), but the benefits of having built in contracts and proposals specifically designed for designers really made Bonsai the best choice for me. 

You can try it for free, but there are 2 paid versions: Workflow and Workflow Plus. If you think Bonsai is the client management tool for you, I’d be forever grateful if you signed up  using this link … I get a little kickback (1 month free!) when you use my referral link. 

Trello

Trello is the most awesome project management site I’ve ever found! Technically Trello is a FREE list-making website, but it’s honestly so much more than that. And FYI: the app for your phone is JUST AS GREAT! Don’t you HATE IT when you love using a website only to find that the phone app is less than stellar (I see you, squarespace… #SMH). I have only been using Trello for a little over a year and I know I haven't’ even scratched the surface on all I can do with it, but I’m going to share with you some of the ways I AM using Trello. This website seriously amazes me…

I keep track of editorial calendar in Trello, I keep my company guidebook (quick access to my bio, photos, logos, brand colors, etc.), I keep my brain dumps for business and personal stuff (a brain dump is just a way to clear your mind so you can focus on the task at hand) and I keep track of new ideas for my business in trello. I don’t really know how to even explain Trello, but there are also TONS of blog posts about how people make Trello work for them. Check some of my favorites out here… and here… and here. 

You can also take this awesome class that DIVES DEEP on all things Trello. Check it out here for only $29! Of all the classes I’ve taken through my years as a creative entrepreneur - THIS CLASS packed the biggest punch! I’ve literally retaken this class 5 times (hello - LIFETIME ACCESS). Seriously - what’s stopping you? GO take the class: https://www.trelloforbusiness.com/

Google Sheets

It seems silly to mention a free spreadsheet program on here (you can use excel if you have Microsoft or Numbers if you’re on a Mac) but I use Google Sheets FOR EVERYTHING! I’m totally not a spreadsheet girl (but  I AM a visual thinker), but I have so many spreadsheets that I link to in my Trello boards. The great thing about Google is that they are saved in the cloud and I can pull them up on my phone, ipad AND computer. And you can share them with people. I have created some google forms and keep responses in a spreadsheet, I keep my inventory in a spreadsheet, I keep my financial projections and client schedules in Google Sheets… 

Seriously - I know I’m preaching to the  choir here, but I love me some Google Spreadsheets!

Facebook Creator Studio

This is something cool and new Facebook is doing (it may not be new, but it’s new to me… so just go with it) and you can plan/schedule Facebook AND Instagram posts, videos, stories, ALL.THE.THINGS! I use this during my content batching week to schedule out an entire month  of content in ONE WEEK (want to know more about batching your content - check out my time management coach’s website… she’s seriously the best so if you sign up for one of her classes, be sure to tell her I sent you). 

I don’t know if this works for personal accounts or if you have to have a business account, but it’s a MASSIVE timesaver! On second thought - why would someone want to schedule personal posts? Ok… moving on now!  I’ve tried Planoly and Later for scheduling Instagram posts, but Facebook Creator Studio is just SO MUCH BETTER! YES Planoly and Later both have a calendar view (something FB CS is lacking), but Facebook Creator Studio is FREE! And FREE is my favorite price! 

To find this, you go to your business’ Facebook page, then click “publishing tools” on the left, then scroll down to the TOOLS section and click “Creator Studio”. You can toggle back and forth between Facebook and Instagram at the top center of your screen (this part took me WAY TOO LONG to figure out)... You’re welcome! 

I know this isn’t a totally groundbreaking post, but these tools are what I’ve found that works for me. In my stage of entrepreneurship. For my business. You might try some of these out and think - “I like another tool better”. There might be others you can’t live without. And that’s ok. This entrepreneurship thing is just a big experiment anyway, so what works for one may not work for another! 

So let me know what you think about my list. 

Do you use any of these?

Do you use anything not listed above thatI simply MUST try?