Our Favorite Systems, Tools and Apps for the Creative Entrepreneur
Episode 346: Show Notes
So, we get questions all the time about which app is the best for each task. On today's episode of The Strategy Hour, we thought we would give you all of that and break down all of our favorite tools and tips for getting the most for your biz! We will go through each section of our business and give you a selection of what we use, recommend, do not like, and even some things that might be beyond your scope right now.
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Remember, just because we use it does not make it the best or the one you should use. Often you have to patch together a toolbox that is best for your specific needs, but we are here to show you the lay of the land! We want to be as transparent as possible and often the reason we use a certain tool at this time is that it was just the one we selected first! So all that being said we are sure you will get a lot from this episode and might just find your new favorite thing out there! Let's get into some strategy!
Email and Why We Use ConvertKit and ActiveCampaign
Like many people, we did not really see the value of email when we started out, we used MailChimp, it was free and appeared to do what we needed it to. We did this for a remarkably long time and only later when we realized we might need some additional features did we make the change to ConvertKit. We had a bit of a tech fear going into things and this is one of the reasons that ConvertKit is so great - their support team is so wise and helpful, we cannot sing their praises highly enough. Now, as it turns out we have had to switch from ConvertKit again recently due to the need for a certain feature they do not offer and are using ActiveCampaign currently. Truth be told ConvertKit is still our favorite but ActiveCampaign is working well in the way we need it to right now. If ConvertKit were to add that missing feature we would probably switch right back!
Scheduling and Posting on Social Media
In the game of organizing and scheduling there is unfortunately no one size fits all solution! So we will walk you through each of the options and how we use them. Later for IG is quite useful for auto-publishing single posts and the platform is really easy. They have a free plan and then an upgraded version if you need something more too. On our Facebook Group we like to use Meet Edgar as this allows us to automate repeated posts and even as Facebook engagement seems to continuously drop it is very helpful. Often it seems things have to go completely viral to get any sort of engagement on the platform but we have to trudge on and do our best! Facebook seems to be trying to push out recycled and older content but Meet Edgar is perfect for Twitter where recycling content is to your benefit! We also use Creator Studio for our Facebook Page, it is built into the platform, is free and it also allows you to monetize your content, so check that out! The last of the tools for social is Tailwind for Pinterest, which we absolutely love. We did a full episode about it recently so go listen to that if you have not already, it basically does the job of a VA and is so cheap!
Project Management, Trello and Slack
When it comes to project management we cannot stress this enough, Trello is your best friend. That is all there is to it, end of story! It is so helpful and keeps you organized and on course with the multitude of things on your plate. We really believe you have to go fully digital in your project management, you do not want sticky notes lying around everywhere and you also need to give all your team members easy access. It is also pretty and works for you in the way you need it to! There is a one time fee which is great, so what are you waiting for? The other component to this conversation is Slack, which is our go-to for work communication. Everything is organized and it is so easy to find anything from past conversations. It basically means you can have all your communications in one place, arranged in whatever way you please!
Storage, Dropbox and Dubsado
Dropbox has been our friend for a long time! There was only one time we really had an issue with losing some stuff and we were able to recover it, so all was forgiven. In our business, nothing lives on our PC's or notebooks, everything is digital and on the cloud, safe, secure and accessible! The way Dropbox offers options for so many folders and selected access is just so great. In addition we use Carbonite as a back-up of our back-ups, just in case. You do not want to lose your stuff people! Dropbox also makes it very easy to sync across devices all the time, we love them! Our other favorite thing but from a different world is Dubsado! It is basically a high level CRM but is also so much more. It is made for creatives, so you know they have your back. Why not give them a try, we promise you will not be disappointed.
Photo Editing Apps for Your Phone
Most of the stuff we post on Instagram is taken on our phones, so you kind of need a good array of editing apps to make your stuff stand out. A particular favorite of ours is Pic Tap Go, it is the cheapest and does everything you could want it to. It has so many great features and we love it very much! We also use Creative Cloud and Lightroom a bit, and presets have been useful especially when using stuff shot on a camera. There are also other similar tools so just have a look around and see which matches your needs. You can often use a combo of cheap tools to get just what you are looking for with your images. Another great product is Word Swag which we use for creating text graphics, it is so easy, even for those not necessarily graphically minded.
Sales Page Creation
In terms of building sales and landing pages the two most obvious choices are Leadpages and ClickFunnels. Here at Boss Projects we are more familiar with Leadpages but both work well and will get the job done. It is worth noting that ConvertKit also offers built in landing pages but it just depends exactly what you need from them. Leadpages is most definitely the quickest way to build any page ever and we have found that the key with these services is to keep it simple! You can try Leadpages for free for 14 days and see if you like it, so you have nothing to lose. There are always ways to hack things a bit but there also comes a time when you might want a fully inclusive service that does everything you want it to do.
Webinars and Money Management
If you are not really ready to do webinars yet just ignore this next part! There are so many more options for them than there used to be. We like WebinarJam and you can try it for just one dollar for 60 days, so why not see if it works for you for a webinar and then go from there? We also think a subject that needs more attention is money management. If you have any sort of team, need some assistance with HR, we, as always, recommend our favorite, Gusto. We have been using them forever and the pricing is great, they handle everything! They basically give you a built in accounting department. They have been sponsors of the show for a while but we supported and used them before that, so you know it's real!
Quote This
Often you have to patch together a toolbox that is best for your specific needs, but we are here to show you the lay of the land!
Highlights
Email and Why We Use ConvertKit. [0:02:45.6]
Scheduling and Posting on Social Media. [0:05:36.2]
Project Management, Trello and Slack. [0:14:07.5]
Storage, Dropbox and Dubsado. [0:18:17.1]
Photo Editing Apps for Your Phone. [0:25:56.6]
Sales Page Creation. [0:33:51.8]
Webinars and Money Management. [0:36:10.4]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Tools, Systems, Entrepreneur, Optimization, Online Business
