Today’s episode is all about m favorite business tools. I’m sharing the Top 5 apps I use in my business every single day as a service-based business owner.

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Canva

First on the list is Canva. As a wedding photographer and online business manager, I uses Canva for all the visuals in my business across social media, email, blog, YouTube, and even presentations. Canva also has AI tools that are AMAZING! And the customization options allow me to create stunning designs with my brand colors easily. Check out Episode 83 of the podcast for a more in-depth look at Canva!

Calendly

Second on the list is Calendly. I use it to schedule meetings with clients. I recommends it to anyone who wants to streamline the meeting scheduling process. Calendly integrates with Zoom and calendar apps, blocks off times when you’re not available, sends reminders, and even creates unique Zoom links. If you work with clients and schedule a lot of meetings, you need a scheduling app! It takes away all of the back and forth of trying to schedule meetings.

Trello

Next up, I use Trello every single day in my business. This is my project management tool! I use it to keep all of my goals in one place and organize tasks. My favorite thing that I use it for is content management! Trello is pretty basic, and other people I know prefer Asana or ClickUp because they are more robust. But for me and what I need it for, Trello is perfect. I love that it is simple. They even have some automation tools that I use a lot!

Google Docs

The fourth tool that I use every day is Google Docs! I use this for writing copy. But the main thing I use it for is client communication and sharing projects. When I need to get copy from a client, I collaborate. on a Google Doc with them. When I share Process Maps with them, it’s on Google Docs. The reason I use it instead of a more complicated system is because I don’t want my clients to have to download a new app. They are typically already using Google Docs and will be familiar with it so it makes it super easy!

17Hats

Last, but definitely not least, is my CRM – 17Hats. I use this to send contracts, invoices, questionnaires and emails. I love that I can keep email templates for common emails I send. Plus, I can save anything as a template including quotes, contracts, and questionnaires. I also use this to keep track of my client flow especially for weddings when there are a lot of steps. I even use the bookeeping feature to keep up with my books and generate P&L reports.

Bonus Apps

I wanted to share 3 bonus apps with you. Zapier is an automation tool that can connect two apps together to automate processes. Wave is a bookeeping app that is totally free to use and is a great alternative to QuickBooks if you don’t need those paid features.

And lastly, is Novo! Novo is my small business bank that I LOVE! If you use my link to sign up, you’ll get $40 when you fund your account and keep a balance of $100 for 30 days. I love Novo because I can put money in different folders without having to open a new account. You can also have it automatically put a certain percentage of the money that comes in into those folders making it super easy to save for tax season or pay yourself regularly. I highly recommend using it for your business banking needs!

Thanks for listening to this episode! I’ll see you net time. If you want help setting up your systems, contact me! View my services page to see how I can help in your business.