As an online blogger or entrepreneur, if you have the right tools at your disposable, your office can really be wherever you want it to be in the world. While that does have its perks, it also means that you have to find all the standard tools that you would normally have in an office in an online format.
I’ve been building online businesses literally since I was eleven years old, so over the years I’ve accumulated quite a collection of my favorite tools. Here are 40 awesome resources for bloggers and entrepreneurs.
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40+ Awesome Blogging Resources | Resources for Bloggers and Entrepreneurs
The beauty of online business is that the startup costs are much less than a brick-and-mortar store would be, plus you don’t have to lease out a giant space that you may or may not actually use, full of expensive equipment that you don’t really need to start a business. It has never been easier to start an online business than it is right now!
These are the half dozen apps I use every day to run my businesses.
1. Gmail
This is a staple that I have synced up to all my devices so I always know when I get a new email (and consequently waste less time in my inbox because I only go there when there’s something new).
2. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest
These are my three social media channels of choice. Facebook I use the most because of the different business groups I’m part of as well as managing my ad campaigns. It’s usually recommended that you stick with just a couple social media sites instead of spreading your efforts too thin. These sites are automated by…
3. Post Planner
There are a number of social media automation tools out there, but Post Planner is my new favorite because it recycles your old posts so they get to be seen again. 🙂
4. Tailwind
I use Tailwind to schedule out my Pinterest pinning and repins which is a LIFESAVER because it is relatively hands-off and grows my page views by the hundreds.
5. Mailchimp
I don’t always have work to do in Mailchimp (usually just when I send out my weekly newsletters) but I do like to keep track of my list stats in there. I also update my autoresponders from time to time for various products and classes and general welcome emails. Mailchimp is basically responsible for my entire sales process (besides social media), and what’s even more awesome is that after the initial setup work, it’s all on autopilot. 🙂
6. Wave Accounting
I like to know what I’m spending and earning, so I check this daily, making sure Paypal and my bank accounts are correctly inputting transactions and adding anything extra by hand. It doubles as both my business books and my personal finance, since the two are intertwined. It’s scary but liberating to know exactly what your financial situation is instead of getting surprised when tax season comes around.
7. Asana
Asana is my current favorite to-do list app. I used to use Trello for a long time but was finding it to be overwhelming because all of your lists are displayed on the same screen. Asana has more ability to separate things and add details and due dates.
8. Spotify
This isn’t really a business app, but I’d never get any work done without blasting music. 🙂 Currently listening to chill acoustic music and hip hop.