As a 9-to-5 entrepreneur, it can be very challenging and overwhelming to work full-time while running a business. If you’re anything like me, you believe you can do it all, even if you feel like you’re drowning.
When I first started my business, I tried to do everything from manually invoicing clients to sending proposals and even sending out mass emails. Yes, your girl was a hot mess and often fell behind. I’m talking about forgetting to remind clients to pay me, delivering outside of the scope of the contract, and experiencing serious burnout. After a while, having just a job wasn’t starting to look so bad.
However, before giving up, I wised up. Now, I want to share the resources I used or currently use to run my business on my own terms.
Honeybook: I don’t care if you don’t invest in any other resources, get a CRM. HoneyBook basically put all of my essential needs into one place. From proposals to contracts to invoices and so much more, HoneyBook took care of all of that. It allowed me to have more freedom to create and operate in my zone of genius instead of constantly focusing on the admin side of the house. 10/10 recommendation.
Cost- $400 per year, but you can get 20% off your first year with my referral code.
http://share.honeybook.com/kimbreli68372
Convertkit: To be honest, I didn't realize how important it was to build an email list for a long time. However, over the years, I've learned that an email list can be very profitable and essential to your business. Learn from me: DO NOT send out emails manually to a mass group of people to save money. If you’re serious about building your email list, invest in an email marketing platform. I currently use ConvertKit, and I give it a 7/10 recommendation.
Zoom: COVID showed everyone how effective video conferencing can be. Zoom has been a game changer in my business. I’m able to meet with my clients and record our sessions. If you are someone who meets with clients on a regular, I suggest investing in a video-conferencing platform. 10/10 recommendation
Cost- Free but only for 45 minutes and 100 people. If you are a coach or do workshops, I suggest you upgrade for $150 per year for up to 100 people and 30 hours.
Professional email: If you want to be looked at as professional, then show up as one. Get rid of the @yahoo and @gmail email accounts and invest in a professional email. A professional Google email account is $6 per month and worth it. I recently upgraded from the basic $6 plan to the $12 plan. The plan comes with a video conference plan, so I no longer need a Zoom account. 10/10 recommendation
Calendly: Calendly was a hit or miss at first, but baby, once I learned how to use this platform to its full potential, it was game over. Like Zoom, Calendly has a free plan to meet your basic needs, like scheduling, but as my business grew, so did my needs. Calendy allows you to schedule multiple meetings without going back and forth with clients. I used to spend the majority of my day trying to find a time that worked for both my client and myself. Now I just send my Calendly link with my availability and put the ball in their court. It can also be integrated with other platforms such as Honeybook, Zoom, Google Video, and more. 10/10 recommendation
Honorable Mentions:
Trello: This is new to the line-up, and I am still figuring out how I want to fully implement it into my business. So far, this has been great for tracking my projects on a timeline and organizing my to-do list. It has been very effective in planning my content, but I feel like I need to really tap into its full potential. For those reasons, I give it a 7.5/10
Ready to grow?
So there you have it, these are the tools and resources that I use to run my business while working a full-time job. I can guarantee you that just implementing a few of the tools will instantly elevate your business and make things run a little more smoothly.
Enjoyed these tips? Be sure to follow me on Instagram at @kfiwebdesign for more.