3 Must-Have Tools I Use to Run My Business (That Are Less Than $17/Month)
They say that no man is an island, and I’m here to add: no small business is either.
All businesses have needs that they can’t (or don’t want to) tackle on their own without help, and my top three became pretty clear to me within weeks of starting my business. I needed help:
- Designing graphics (because web design and graphic design go hand-in-hand).
- Creating contracts & managing invoices (because no thank you I only want to do the fun things and ignore this part of business ownership).
- Scheduling my tasks (because the inside of my brain looks like a thousand hamsters spinning on a thousand wheels, and if they didn’t have any structure, it would just be a bunch of flying hamsters bouncing off of walls, getting nothing done).
Any of that sound familiar?
If so, I completely get it — and I wanted to pass along the online tools and programs that have been essential to running my business, either by making the fun parts easier or by streamlining the more tedious or complex parts.
Even better? All three of the programs I list below are online-based, meaning you can access them anywhere — from any computer at any time (as long as you know your log in info! #savethosepasswords) — AND they all have mobile apps, so you can run your business on the go!
Did I mention that they’re all less the $20/month too…?
#1: PicMonkey
I’m not going to lie to you — I discovered PicMonkey back in college when I Googled “photo editors that remove zits” (it was before Instagram and the “Paris” filter existed, okay?) and it was a while before I realized there were about a thousand other (much more fun) things it could do besides provide virtual concealer.
Now I’m on PicMonkey daily and I love it almost as much as I love Squarespace (and that’s saying a lot). I used it to create my logo, my blog covers (see above!) and the textured backgrounds throughout my website. I use it now to create custom icons for clients, backgrounds for websites, graphics for Instagram and palettes just for funsies.
If you’re in the market for a photo editor and don’t want to pay the big bucks for Photoshop or Illustrator, this one is my favorite!
P R O S
The Hub. This is what PicMonkey calls their version of “the cloud” — all of your creations are saved as you go, and you can organize them into files and access them no matter where you are or what laptop you’re using.
It makes Instagram SUPER easy. I know I mentioned that all of the programs in this post have a mobile app, but I LOVE that PicMonkey does so that I can save the Instagram graphics I create (for stories or posts, both of which they have *correctly sized* templates for, btw) without having to email it to myself, save it to my drive from the laptop then download it to my phone, etc. I can just open the app, save and post!
Templates for when my creativity needs a jump start. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to create and other times, I need a nudge, and their templates (which are innumerable and gorgeous) provide the perfect starting point when I’m searching for inspiration. Seriously, sometimes I browse them just for fun.
Built-in graphics. They have a folder of customizable graphics built right into their editor which makes creating icons (and logos and effects and…) super easy.
FREE stock photos. PicMonkey recently partnered with Unsplash (my FAVORITE site for free stock photos) so you can access beautiful, free stock photos right in the editor. Considering that I use Unsplash on the regular (they partner with Squarespace too), this was a double yay for me since it essentially cut out the middle man.
They speak my language. No really, at the bottom of their site they have an actual tab labeled “Legal Schtuff” where they list their policies, terms of service and acceptable use policies, and that kind of vibe just speaks to me. They’re quirky and I love it. It’s the little things.
C O N S
I still have to outsource on occasion. For instance, my fabulous portfolio pieces in their laptops, tablets and phones? I had a graphic design friend of mine, Shop Goldie Mae, create those for me because I couldn’t do that (to my liking, anyways) in PicMonkey. (P.S. - Shop Goldie Mae is so talented and creates the most amazing invitation suites and custom graphic design projects and is also run by the sweetest human on earth, so I highly recommend you follow her on Instagram and give her a shout for any design needs!)
If you’re going to be doing some seriously fancy photo editing, logo designing, template creating magic, PicMonkey might be a little too elementary for your needs. If that’s the route you’re going, I’d recommend hopping straight to Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator (which is about $30/month — it’ll be worth the investment for your needs, I promise).
C O S T: $8/mo. (for the Basic plan, which is what I currently have)
WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR MY BUSINESS
It’s simple enough for me to use, yet multipurpose enough to cover the variety of projects I take on (even logo creation!) without being a pain in the ass to figure out.
Learn more about PicMonkey or sign up here!
#2: Hello Bonsai
If you are a freelancer or small business owner in need of a system that streamlines your proposals, contracts, invoices and more, halt right where you are and look into Hello Bonsai immediately. This program does all of the above and also organizes your projects and clients, tracks your expenses (and creates reports) and can even set up recurring payments for regular clients.
P R O S
It creates your contracts for you (!!!). I had no idea where to start when I began my business and wanted a sure-fire way to make my “agreements” legitimate with my clients (plus, I feel like everyone feels better when legal documents are signed protecting both parties, ya know?). Based on what project you’re starting, you can choose a contract “template,” you can save your own templates (if you create a lot of the same, custom projects), and you can customize them as much as you need (or even build one from the ground up using their legalese). I love it when other people create programs that streamline tasks that I hate (i.e. writing contracts), so I am the most grateful to Hello Bonsai for this feature.
Clients can e-sign. If I have to print something, sign it, and then scan it back in to send back to someone, it’s entirely possible that whoever sent it to me will never hear from me again. That’s just the world we live in now. Hello Bonsai makes it very (very) easy for clients to sign contracts online — plus they send reminders to clients to sign if and they notify you when it’s done.
It makes invoicing easy. It can auto-generate your invoices as soon as a contract is signed, it connects to both PayPal and Stripe and it sends out automatic reminders to clients when they’re nearing an invoicing deadline (or if they’ve passed it, at which point it automatically adds on a late fee and sends a new invoice…booyah). It also has a time tracker on it (for those of you who get paid hourly) and converts your hours to invoices when you’re done! Add in the fact that you can set up recurring invoices for regular clients, and you’ve got yourself a sweet mostly-automatic invoicing set up.
C O N S
It’s designed for mostly for digital freelancers and small, simple businesses. While this is clearly a “pro” for me (the digital web designer with the small business), for companies or agencies with employees, complex contracts or complicated projects, this would likely not be your jam.
Their mobile app is for invoicing only — you can’t create or send new projects or proposals on it (although personally, I wouldn’t want to. Anyone else feel weird doing “official” tasks via phone? Or does the cheese stand alone…?)
This is less of a “con” and more of a side note: I use Intuit Self-Employed to track my expenses. There is an expense tracking feature within Bonsai, but I honestly can’t speak to it’s usefulness since I’ve never tried it. In researching what others have to say, the only downfalls of this are: 1) you can’t scan receipts and 2) it won’t connect to some smaller banks/credit unions.
C O S T: $16/mo. (w/ annual plan)
WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR MY BUSINESS
I don’t have the money for a lawyer or the know-how to write my own airtight contracts (that protect both me and my clients), and I have zero ambition to figure out legalese, and Hello Bonsai takes care of all of this in the easiest possible way.
Learn more about Hello Bonsai or sign up here!
#3: Workflowy
Fun fact: I have what I like to call “must-write-this-down-immediately-or-else-it-won’t-happen” anxiety, and it’s hereditary: I got it from my mother. Since I can remember, she’s kept a pen and a pad of paper on her bedside table because if she wakes up in the middle of the night with an idea or a task or a to-do list item, she (physically and mentally) WILL NOT and CANNOT REST until it’s written down, for fear that it will get lost in the back of her mind if she doesn’t.
That’s me to a T.
But also, what small business owner doesn’t need or have a task list? A daily one, a weekly one, a monthly one, even an annual one. I live and die by my to-do lists and would get absolutely nothing done without them (or, at least, I’d forget to do a lot more things).
For my task list I use Workflowy — an online task list that essentially creates as many outlines as you need.
P R O S
You can check things off. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE checking off a task list. Like I’m that person who will add something they’ve already finished to their to-do list just because I love being able to see it crossed off.
Movable tasks/bullet points. Something I also do frequently: make grand plans and then realize there’s only 24 hours in a day…so a task or two (or five) I planned for today might need to get moved to tomorrow or next week. Workflowy makes this as easy as humanly possible — you just drag and drop. I know cutting/pasting does essentially the same thing, but if anything could be easier than that, it’s this, and I LOVE it.
Easy to jot things down when you think of them. I don’t know about you, but my brain moves a million miles a minute, so when I think of something that I need to do, I need to write it down FAST. Workflowy makes this easy while I work (I have the tab open in the background at all times so that I can stay on track throughout my work day) and they also make it easy when I think of something on the go because…
The mobile app makes crossing things off is super satisfying — you just swipe and it draws a line right through your task and if that doesn’t deserve to be in the “pro” column, nothing does. *shivers with delight*
C O N S
It’s fairly self-managed — you don’t set up projects, “complete” projects, connect it to your calendar, etc. — it’s literally just a checklist. If you crave a little more structure, I’d go with something like Asana.
There is limited storage within the free option. I haven’t run into this issue yet with my business, but I did when I I worked for another company and we had about half a million things to add to the list every week. Eventually my boss had to upgrade and it was *gasp* five whole dollars per month.
No really, it’s just for lists and tasks. If you make lots of notes or go much more into depth than “outlining,” it will get crowded quickly and you’ll lose space fast. (I use Evernote for more “in depth” note taking, but find it too slow/clunky for a simple weekly/monthly task list — hence Workflowy!).
C O S T: FREE! (Unless you need the extra space, then it’s $5/mo. or $50/year to upgrade.)
WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR MY BUSINESS
My brain works in task list form and Workflowy basically looks like the inside of my brain — except for it’s written down, easy to organize (and re-organize) and it keeps me on track so I don’t forget essential tasks.
Learn more about Workflowy or sign up here!
At the end of the day, whatever works best for you is what you should use!
Did you start with Canva and can’t imagine switching? Stick with it. Do you have a trusty lawyer who has never let you down when it comes to airtight contracts? Don’t let ‘em go. Is your to-do list process honed to a finely-tuned science? For the love of all that is holy, NEVER CHANGE IT.
Every person is different, every business is different and, as a result, your needs will be different from mine (unless you’re also a Squarespace web designer who builds websites in two weeks for small businesses and teaches them how to use their site when it’s done…then email me and we’ll take over the world together!).
But if you’re in the market for any of the above, they all come with free trials and/or versions…so go ahead and give them a try!
Of course, my FOURTH favorite tool is Squarespace! It’s what I built my website on, and what I build ALL of my client’s websites on — and we all love it. It’s design-focused, user-friendly, meaning that it combines a beautiful website with an easy-to-use-and-edit platform…and when you’re s busy entrepreneur, that’s exactly what you want.
By the way, you can sign up for a free trial of Squarespace here, and I also snagged you a lil’ deal so use code PARTNER10 for 10% off your first year of Squarespace!
You might also enjoy…
10 Things You’ll Learn In Your First Year as an Entrepreneur
5 Ways You Can Use Your Squarespace Website
How to Use Pinterest to Brand Your Website
The Two-Week Website: How It Works & Why You’ll Love It
