5 Tools That Help My Business Run Smoothly
Confession: I read probably 100 blog posts like this when I first started my business to soak up all the free information I could in the areas I was clueless about.
So, why not pay it forward a bit and share a few resources that have been a game-changer for GMDC?
Here are 5 tools I use in my business constantly. They make my life easier and make my processes more efficient and professional, giving clients a better user experience as they work with me.
Found - I use Found for all my business banking. It’s a free platform that caters to small business owners and solopreneurs, and it’s been a huge help in my work. I wish I could tell you how many times my financial advisor husband gets asked “Oh, so are you the CFO of Good Mood?” People assume I don’t manage my own business finances, but Found has empowered me to feel like I know exactly where my money goes and how I can best use it. I use it to send invoices, classify business expenses, and pay my quarterly taxes SO easily. It’s also well-designed for creative minds and has a great customer service team. Huge fan of being able to roll my eyes when people wrongly assume I don’t do my own work in this area.
Asana - Transparently, I think there are a ton of great options out there for project management, but I’ve enjoyed Asana since starting GMDC. It’s free and easy to learn. It keeps me organized and on track, which is a requirement for my creative brain. If it’s not clearly laid out with a specific deadline, I can procrastinate with the best of them. You can also invite your clients in to a project on Asana so that they can see deadlines, communicate feedback, and be assigned tasks themselves. Big fan. Alternate options for similar services include Notion, Trello, Monday, and Basecamp. I’ve dabbled in most of those and think all have great features to offer.
Meta Business Suite - This one’s comical, because this platform and user experience are NOT great. But, I use this site to schedule my social media posts so that I can then delete Instagram off my phone without worrying about my marketing efforts dying off. It’s not perfect, but it’s free and it’s favored in the algorithms of Facebook and Instagram, where as supposedly your engagement can get dinged if using other outside platforms like Planoly. Who knows if that’s true…
Loom - This is a new one for GMDC! One thing I majorly tweaked in my client process last year was including presentation videos when I deliver proofs or final files for a design project. I’ve found that a recorded video feels personal, allows for a great amount of detail and information to be communicated, gives clients the option to watch when they want and rewatch any time, AND it saves us all a meeting! I still offer follow-up meetings and have specific points in the process where a video recording can’t get the job done in the way a 1:1 phone call can, but for many steps along the way, this is a game-changer. I used the basic Apple screen recording feature to accomplish this goal last year, but I plan to use a paid account through Loom in 2023 to better the user experience.
Zoom - This one doesn’t require explanation, does it? It sucks all of our souls a little but, but it’s a necessary and convenient means to a more flexible work life, and for that, I guess, we’re grateful.
What tools are you using these days that have changed the way you work? Reply and let me know!