My 33 Must-Have Tools for Doing Business Online

When I read through my reader survey responses earlier this month, I came across a few questions about doing business online; some of you wanted to know what tools I use, some of you wanted to know how I learned everything that I know (up to this point), and some of you wanted more sharing of said information.

So, I'm here to tell you that it takes a village--of apps, services, products, + technology--to run an online business.

It also takes a lot of time, a lot of googling for resources, directions, + how-to videos, and a lot of trial and error to learn the wide variety of skills you need to know in order to blog, podcast, offer online design services, consulting services, etc. Just like any other business, trade, or skill, you have to put in the time to actually learn about the industry and then stay up-to-date as the industry changes; it's not easy. 

​That being said, there are a TON of tools that make running a business online *much* easier. And I wouldn't know about many of these amazing tools if I hadn't learned about them from fellow online business peeps. So today, although I have shared some of this information piecemeal in the past, I wanted to compile a complete, updated roundup of ALL of the tools that I use in the various areas of my online business.

I hope that this list is helpful to you as you build your own online presence or brand...and again, remember that you don't learn this stuff overnight, but it is all very learnable if you put in the time + energy ;)  

Here we go...!

Website/Blogging Platforms

• Weebly: this is what I use for my own website + blog, which I created back before I knew about Squarespace (not sure it was even around/as well-known then as it is now?)
• Squarespace: this is what I use for all client websites + blog designs. I will no longer design sites in Wordpress because I find that it is not user-friendly enough for clients to manage on their own AFTER I finish their sites
  
  

Blog + Social Media Graphics

• Photoshop Elements: worth learning! It only costs around $70 and is the BEST investment I've made in my business. Yes, you have to take some time to learn it, but I used Lynda.com videos to teach myself in just a day or so
• Canva: if you don't have Photoshop and/or don't want to learn how to use it, this is the design program I recommend you learn ASAP. Free and easy to use! Simply put: you cannot have an online business and not know how to use at least one image/graphic creator
• Wordswag: super easy app that lets you add words to images and create graphics for social media using cute backgrounds and templates
  
  

Social Media Scheduling

• Hootsuite: free (for up to 5 or 6 social media accounts) and quite simple to use

Newsletter/Mailing List Management

• Mailchimp: I'm a huge fan of Mailchimp! It's free until you have 2000 people on your mailing list and very easy to use. Yes, just like anything else you have to take the time to teach yourself how to use it, but once you have, it's extremely user-friendly
• Feedburner: how I deliver my daily blog posts to subscribers via email 

Podcast Creation + Hosting

• Garageband: this is what I use to edit my podcast episodes (I've also heard great things about Audacity, for those who don't have a Mac)
• Libsyn: this is the program that hosts my podcast episodes, meaning that it saves them in a cloud, delivers them to iTunes once I upload them, makes them available for download, and allows me to view download + listener stats
• iTunes + Stitcher: when you first create a podcast, you have to apply to get it accepted to both of these networks so that it's easily find-able and subscribe-able. Once it's been accepted, Libsyn does the rest for you (each time you publish a new episode) 

Video Creation + Hosting

• iMovie: comes free with a Mac and is pretty great. Yes, there is a learning curve FOR SURE, but it's worth taking the time to teach yourself. If you don't have access to iMovie or don't want to learn it, I've also heard wonderful things about Clips Video Editor. I haven't used it myself, but I hear it's a great, easy-to-use editing app for your tablet or phone 
• YouTube: this is an obvious one, but this is where I upload my videos in order to embed them in the blog

eBook Creation, Order, + Delivery

• Pages for Mac: this is the program that I use to create eBooks and all PDFs that I want to make pretty ;) Just like a lot of the other programs listed here, it takes a little time to get the hang of it, but once you do, it's wonderful
• E-junkie: the website that hosts my eBook and delivers it to those who order it; once I set up my account, uploaded my eBook and set up the back-end, I've never had to think about it again. So great! Only $5/month and well worth the cost
• Kindle Direct Publishing: the account that allows me to make my eBook available on Amazon (for Kindle). Free to set-up but they do take a percentage of your sales (obviously)

Accounting + Invoicing

• Freshbooks: the program I use to keep track of all of my business expenses, income, invoices (I can send them from here), timesheets/time tracking, etc. It has been a life-saver; my only regret is that I didn't start paying for Freshbooks about two years ago 
• Paypal: what I use to accept payment through the buttons on my website (like you see on my consulting page)
• Vanguard: hello, retirement! When you work for yourself, setting aside money on a monthly basis for savings/retirement is a MUST. I have a Vanguard account for this and have it set up to automatically remove money from my account and invest it in my selected fund each month

Free {Beautiful, Not Cheesy} Image Sources

• Death to the Stock Photo: you sign up and receive a free photo pack in your email every month 
• Unsplash: my favorite one! Great searchable directory of gorgeous images
• PicJumbo: also helpful, although not as great as the others (I search this one last)

File Organization

• Dropbox: both Sara and I are upgraded so that we can share all Starr Struck files easily (and so that we know they're safe and backed-up!). This is also how I deliver large folders of logo files to clients
• Google Docs: I mean, obviously. Love accessing docs on both my phone and computer, and love being able to share them easily with others (non-Dropbox peeps). Also great for surveys! 

Free Blog Widgets/Apps: 

• Surveymonkey: how I conduct reader surveys (free for up to 10 questions)
• Rafflecopter: great, easy widget for keeping track of people who enter raffles or giveaways
• Random.org: how I select the winners of giveaways that were not done through Rafflecopter (Rafflecopter selects the winner for you)
• Snapwidget: Instagram widget for your blog sidebar or website (allows you to display recent posts, like on my sidebar)
• iTunes Playlists: widget I use to embed my yoga class playlists in my website

Blog Ad Networks

• Clever Girls Collective: apply to be a part of this network and if accepted, you can apply for various ad/sponsored post campaigns on your blog
• Collectively: same as the above, just slightly less established/organized ;) 

Online Shop

• Etsy: although you can easily create a shop on your Weebly or Squarespace site, I've found that Etsy makes product management, shipping, and sales much easier than website-hosted shops (at least for what I'm doing). Not only does it allow me to print + pay for shipping labels within my shop dashboard, but it also brings in lots of new shoppers who wouldn't have found my products otherwise

Scheduling

• A good old fashioned paper planner, y'all! I've tried everything else, but have come to the conclusion that I'm just a paper planner kinda gal. Technology can't do everything! ;) 

And there you go. {Phew.} I had no idea how many tools I rely on until I made this list. Thank goodness for all of these free apps, programs, and websites I use! They make life SO much easier.

Have a favorite tool that I didn't include? Please post to comments so other readers (and I) can learn about it!