Business Tools I Use Everyday
Running your own business is hard work — super worth it — but hard nonetheless. So whenever you come across aNYTHING that can make your life as a business owner even 1% easier…you jump on it!
I’ve been running Thomfoolery Design Co. since 2018. In that time I’ve tried lots of things and seen what works, what doesn’t, and what I absolutely cannot live without! All the tools I’m about to mention definitely help my design business run smoothly, but most of them are built to help businesses in any industry.
I’ll continually update this blog post whenever I come across new tools, so you can be sure that the resources I list here are up to date!
Client & Project Management
ASANA: I have used Asana at all of my corporate 9-5 jobs. I love it and I knew it was something I wanted to implement when running my own business too. Asana has a ton of cool features, but I mainly use the “project” tool. I have different project categories like “blog posts”, “branding clients”, “products”, and “general business” (for day-to-day house keeping tasks) and more. Within each project category, I create a task for all my to-do’s! You can also make sub-tasks within each task which makes it easy to organize projects with lots of moving parts. Within each task you can assign it to a team member, set a due date, and then communicate within the task by tagging someone! Like I said, there are a lot of other tools and ways to organize your tasks, but even if this one small part of Asana has really helped me stay on track!
DUBSADO: This has been an absolute GAME CHANGER. Dubsado is a client management system that allows you to communicate with clients and keep track of your projects in a super streamlined way. You can send contracts and forms, automate workflows and emails, send invoices and accept payment, schedule and book appointments, and even keep track of your finances! I’ll admit, Dubsado can be a little intimidating at first just because there is SO much you can do with it! For me, it was hard to know where to start but Dubsado’s customer service is TOP NOTCH and they have sooo many helpful videos to guide you. Perhaps the best part about Dubsado is the fact that you can test it out, for free, for as long as you want. Seriously! An unlimited trial and they’ll never ask for a credit card! Once I tested out Dubsado with a couple of clients, I immediately saw how valuable it was to my design process. I pay to use Dubsado and it is worth its weight in gold! This video here sums up Dubsado’s capabilities if you want to see for yourself. If you want to implement Dubsado into your workflow, use code thomfoolery for 20% off your first month OR first year!
SLACK: Slack is an instant messaging platform. I usually only use Slack with my ongoing retainer clients as a way to shoot quick messages back and forth. It’s way better than having hundreds of emails, or worse, tons of text messages on my personal phone. This doesn’t replace my email communication with my clients, I mainly use it for quick questions or check-ins. This is perfect if you have a team of employees or independent contractors you hire on a regular basis.
Web & Email
SQUARESPACE: I’ve personally been using Squarespace for my own websites for years and I recommend Squarespace for most of my clients’ sites too! Squarespace is a really versatile platform whether you have a blog, a portfolio, or an online shop. It’s also incredibly customizable and really user friendly compared to other platforms. I especially love Squarespace because you can register your domain name and build your website in one place!
FLODESK: In my past life as a corporate graphic designer, I used to create sooo many email newsletters…like probably thousands lol. I’ve used lots of different email platforms but Flodesk is a game changer!! It’s the new kid on the block and it’s quickly becoming very popular for small businesses and entrepreneurs — for good reason!! It’s so easy to use and you’ll be able to layout gorgeous emails, without needing any design skills! Flodesk has tons of templates to choose from across different categories (sales emails, welcome flows, etc.). You can also upload your own email design if you want, but I doubt you’ll need to. The great thing about Flodesk is that you pay the same (really affordable!) price no matter how big your subscriber list is. With other platforms like Mailchimp, you pay more if you have more subscribers which is kinda bogus. If you want to get 50% off your Flodesk subscription, use my link!
PLANOLY: Being consistent on social media and creating a cohesive feed are two big challenges of running a business. Planoly helps with both of these things! I use this app to drag and drop photos and graphics so I can decide what to post to my feed. Once everything looks the way I want it to, I can schedule everything and they’ll automatically post to Instagram! This really helps me post consistently on Instagram, I don’t even have to think about it! I love that Planoly lets you upload placeholder images — I use this feature when I know I need to make a graphic for my feed but I haven’t yet. On the right is a screenshot of my actual Planoly account. Any post with a little “U” in the corner is “unscheduled”. A little “S” in the corner means that post is scheduled. A little white Instagram icon in the corner means it’s already been posted to my feed.
UNFOLD: Unfold is an app that lets you create and edit graphics for your Instagram story slides. Unfold has over 300 story templates to choose from and they’re always adding more. You can create beautiful collage layouts with our easy-to-use designs, fonts, and other tools. You’ve probably seen Unfold templates all over Instagram without knowing it! They’re known for their film strip and polaroid inspired designs which are so cute and fun to use!
My actual Planoly account!
Photo & Video Editing
LIGHTROOM MOBILE APP: I use the Lightroom Desktop software on my computer to edit big batches of photos BUT I LOVE the Lightroom Mobile App for quick, on-the-go editing. The best part is that the mobile app is FREE and you do NOT need to have the Adobe Creative Cloud to use it! So literally anyone can use it! You just need to make a profile with your email. Once you’re inside the Lightroom app, you can apply presets (filters) to your photos so that all your content looks cohesive! I like to develop my own presets for myself and for my clients, but you can find tons of presets for sale on the internet by bloggers, photographers, and other artists!
FILMM APP: The Filmm App was created by two of my favorite bloggers (and sister duo!), Elsie and Emma of A Beautiful Mess. This app has become my go-to lately because of how popular video content has become (hello Reels and TikTok!). I use this app to combine different video clips, add effects, cute frames, and transitions. This app does cost money but it’s really reasonable and you can test it out with a free trial before subscribing!
INSHOT: Inshot is another app you can use to edit video clips and add filters. It’s good too but I prefer the frames and filters in the Filmm app more!
RETOUCH: I use Photoshop on my laptop to edit photos but if I’m on the go and need to edit something quickly, I use the Retouch app! This is great for removing unwanted things from your photo — whether it’s a trashcan in the background or a piece of spinach in your teeth lol.
DIY Graphics
Although I generally do not recommend creating your own graphics if you don’t have design experience/skills, I do realize that sometimes you don’t have the time/budget/etc. to hire a professional graphic designer. If you must DIY, the following resources are great places to start!
CREATIVE MARKET: Creative Market is a website where you can find, buy, and download fonts, graphics, photos, and more! There is everything from illustrations to social media graphics, to product mockups and beyond. There is something for every budget and you can find just about anything on here! If you sign up for their email newsletter, every Monday they send an email with 6 free goods you can download.
CANVA: I personally only use Canva to layout templates for my clients to use. It is nowhere near as advanced or capable as the professional software graphic designers use, but it works great for non-designers. There is a free version and a “pro” version but you’ll probably be fine with the free version!
BIG CAT CREATIVE: I’ve talked about Big Cat Creative’s website templates before — they’re really awesome and I wanted to include them in this post too! I personally love designing websites but I know it can be really overwhelming if you’re not a designer. So if you want to DIY your website but you need a little help, Big Cat Creative is perfect for you! Erica at Big Cat Creative makes the CUTEST Squarespace templates for an incredible price. Custom web design is totally worth it in my opinion…but it can cost you thousands of dollars which can be tough to swing when you’re just starting your business. Big Cat Creative’s DIY templates are only $150. Yeah, UH-mazing. I seriously cannot recommend these templates enough for DIY business owners! The process is so easy and Erica gives you an easy-to-follow video tutorial for every single step of the way. Check out all her awesome templates HERE.
I hope this blog post was helpful!
Are there any specific areas of your business that you struggle with?
Let me know in the comments!
XOXO,
SEV
*I only recommend products that I actually use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains affiliate links which means that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you click through and purchase/subscribe to the resources I’ve mentioned.