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Are you trying to build your business, but need some help getting everything done?
As a busy entrepreneur, I totally understand when people say that there aren’t enough hours in the day. I mean, people need to sleep, right? That’s why we rely on tools to help us get more done in less time. After all, ain’t nobody got time to do #allthethings! (Plus, I’m not going to lie, I really love my sleep).
To help save you time and money, I’m sharing some of my favorite business tools. Here are a few of my go-to resources to help you maximize your efficiency, build your business, and promote your blog. You can also read my post about how to start a business.
Tools You’ll Need to Build Your Business
Whether you’re starting an online or traditional business, you’ll need a few tools to be successful. Some of the most common business-building tools include:
- Website
- Web hosting
- Shopping platform (if selling online)
- Accounting, invoicing, and payment systems
- Social media planning and scheduling
- Email sign-up / opt-in forms
- Legal templates
- Support communities
Check out my top suggestions below for each of these categories.
WordPress Website
Let’s be real here…we live in the 21st century. Your business is going to need a website!
While there are lots of different platforms out there, I’m a big fan of WordPress. Some people claim that it’s hard to use, but I’ve actually found it to be pretty straightforward. Plus, I’ve tried other website platforms such as Kajabi, Squarespace, and Wix, without success. WordPress also offers a couple of different versions of its platform, depending on how much control you’d like to have over your website.
WordPress.com
Back in the day, I started my first blog on WordPress.com. What’s great about WordPress.com is that you don’t have to worry about self-hosting. This means you don’t have to worry about the technical side of things, such as backing up your website.
As an added bonus, if you’re diligent about tagging your content, other people can find your articles via the WordPress Reader. The discoverability on Reader can make it easy to grow your following with minimal effort.
One drawback of the free version of WordPress.com is that you can’t monetize it (i.e., have an online store). This is fine if you’re just blogging for fun, but we’re trying to build a business here! If you want to start selling products online or otherwise monetize your website, you’ll need to upgrate to a paid plan on WordPress.com or self-host on WordPress.org.
WordPress.org
As a control freak, I switched to WordPress.org when I got serious about blogging and wanted to turn my blog into a business. It took some work moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. However, using WordPress.org has allowed me to monetize my website, which means I can make money via ads, affiliate marketing, partnerships, and more. I also like using WordPress.org because it integrates seamlessly with my web host, BlueHost.
If you started your website on WordPress.com and are thinking about switching to WordPress.org, the good news is that you can still great all of the great features you know and love with the JetPack plugin.
BlueHost Web Hosting
When I first launched my website in 2018, I had no idea what I was doing. I was confused about the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, as well as the benefits of self-hosting vs. going with a full-service platform. My head was spinning. There were just too many options!
After some research, I decided to go the self-hosting route to have more control over my website. I also wanted to leave the door open for future opportunities to monetize my blog. With that decision made, the search was on for a reliable web host. I scoured the internet and read dozens of reviews on web hosts, and it quickly became clear that BlueHost was my best bet.
BlueHost made it really easy to pick my domain, register my site, and get up and running on WordPress. And I’m glad too, because I was sick of researching and wanted to get started. I’ve never had any issues with BlueHost, however, I’ve still contacted them a few times to ask a few silly questions, including forgetting my password (on more than one occasion). Fortunately, BlueHost is always there for me whenever I need them.
If you’re looking to start a blog or switch web hosting providers, Bluehost offers web hosting for just a few dollars a month. You can get started with BlueHost here.
WooCommerce Shopping
Starting a website from scratch can seem daunting enough. Add an online shopping cart to the mix, and it’s a whole different mess!
When I first got the idea to create and sell courses and workbooks, I was terrified. I had no idea how to put together an online shopping platform. Fortunately, WooCommerce made it really easy to get my shopping platform up and running in minutes. I installed the WooCommerce plugin, answered a few setup questions, entered my product details, and voilà—I had an online store!
NOTE: In 2020, I switched to Udemy for selling my courses and Etsy for selling my workbooks and printables. For a percentage of the sale, they take care of all of the advertising and marketing, which means I don’t have to actively promote my products. However, I still highly recommend WooCommerce to anyone who’s just starting out, or would like greater control (and therefore a higher percentage) of the sales.
WooCommerce makes it really easy to list items for sale, collect payment, and even create coupon codes to offer discounts on your products. If you’re looking for a powerful WordPress plugin to create your online sales platform, you can get started with WooCommerce here.
Wave Accounting
In 2015, I started freelancing as a virtual assistant. I needed a quick and easy way to invoice my clients (i.e., I didn’t want to pay for fancy software with a bunch of bells and whistles I didn’t need). One of my colleagues recommended Wave, a 100% free alternative to QuickBooks. I used Wave until 2019, when I quit my freelancing gig and went into business full-time.
Wave is easy to use, and they’re constantly making improvements to making accounting even easier for small business owners and entrepreneurs. In addition to invoicing, Wave offers transaction tracking, receipt itemization, and reporting including account reconciliation and profit and loss statements. You can even upload receipts and keep an eye on your financials via the mobile app.
If you have employees, you can also take advantage of Wave’s payroll services for a small monthly fee. Whether you’re a solopreneur or running a business with multiple employees, Wave offers a variety of services to suit your needs.
Tailwind Social Media Scheduler
When I was freelancing as a project manager and social media marketer, one of my marketing colleagues introduced me to Tailwind. No joke—this woman went on and on about how wonderful Tailwind was, how easy it was to use, and how their Pinterest scheduler had saved her hours of work not having to manually schedule everything.
I’ll admit I was skeptical at first, but after scheduling 30 pins with Tailwind’s free trial, I was hooked! Apart from personally saving hours of work by scheduling pins weeks and even months in advance (all of the hype was true!), I came to love their extra features, including their browser extension, SmartLoop (rescheduled), and Tribes.
Seriously, if you’ve never tried Tailwind Tribes before, imagine finding a group of people who are interested in all of the same things as you, only you can share their content with your audience. And the best part is, they’re more than happy to share your content with their audience, too. More eyeballs on your content = more money in your pocket! It’s a win-win for everyone, and well worth the investment.
In just a few short months, I went from a few thousand to over 300K monthly views on Pinterest, all thanks to Tailwind. Now, nearly 80% of my website traffic comes from Pinterest. That’s pretty incredible!
To make things even better, Tailwind isn’t just for Pinterest. They also have an epic visual editor for Instagram that lets you drag and drop your upcoming feed to design the perfect layout. They also make it easy to cross-post your grams to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. And now, you can also schedule your Instagram stories.
If you want results like these, you can start growing your blog with Tailwind here.
Mailchimp Email Lists
As you’re building your website and promoting your content on social media, you’ll need to consider how you’ll continue to engage with your audience. One of the most effective and lucrative ways you can continue to engage with your audience is through email marketing.
Mailchimp makes it really easy to create and grow your email list. Whether you need a landing page, embed form, or popup, you can quickly design your opt-in forms in Mailchimp to start building your email list. You also can add custom tags to your contacts or create groups to further segment and target your audience. As an added bonus, Mailchimp also offers automation, so you can automatically email subscribers when they sign up. This feature alone has saved me countless hours of work by not having to manually everyone. And, I know my readers enjoy receiving their personal growth freebies as soon as they subscribe.
Whether you’re just starting out or already have a small following built up, Mailchimp is free to use for up to 2,000 subscribers. You can get started with Mailchimp here.
Legal Bundle for Your Website
As you’re getting all of these pieces of your business into place, you’ll need to consider how you’ll protect your assets, and yourself. Whether you’re just starting a blog or thinking about turning your blog into a business, it’s important to protect yourself legally. Lucky for you, I know someone who can help!
Amira at ASelfGuru is a lawyer-turned-blogger and business coach who’s a pro at teaching people how to become their own boss and protect their blogs legally. She offers an incredible legal bundle on her site that can help you protect your online business.
The starter legal bundle includes three incredibly useful templates to protect your blog:
While these templates are available separately, it’s a much better deal to purchase the complete legal bundle for your website, including bonuses. Plus, you just can’t put a price on the peace of mind knowing that your blog is fully protected.
Facebook Groups
Now that your website is up and running, I recommend joining a few business support communities to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs. You can find free business-building groups on Facebook.
Business groups can help you with:
- Answering all of the questions when Google fails you
- Providing constructive feedback on your new post, page, or product
- Being a safe space for you to vent your frustrations when your technology is on the fritz
- Giving you encouragement and support when you need it
Some of my favorite business owner groups include:
- ASelfGuru – Biz Blog Community, run by Amira, the lawyer-turned-blogger and business coach I mentioned earlier
If you’re also looking for some great blogging communities to join, check out the best communities for bloggers.
Conclusion
Building a successful business takes time and energy, but the payoff can be totally worth it.
No matter your niche, be sure to use all of the tools you need to set up your business for success. Consider how your website, social media, marketing, and support systems can work together harmoniously to create a business that you enjoy running and that will also be profitable for you in the long run.
Also, I won’t be mad if you share these secrets to my success. Go ahead…share this post on social media! Your fellow business owners will thank you for sharing the love.
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