The 6 Tools I Use To Make More Money By Streamlining My Business
If you’re like me, once you dip your toe into the entrepreneurial world, your mind continues to reel with nonstop ideas, to-do lists, never ending tasks and admin to take care of. And the deeper in you go, the deeper the hole of potential disorganization gets, yikes!
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s the feeling of being completely disorganized. And my disorganization sometimes costs me booking more clients or delayed client payments. But thanks to technology, we have access to a million different tools and apps that are constantly inventing new ways to streamline projects, tasks and accounting.
In my book, a quicker process = quicker project timelines = quicker payment. Seems like a win to me!
Do you ever:
Feel like it takes forever to get that contract signed and returned to you?
Book a client or sell a product, but then have to wait for the check to arrive in the mail?
Feel frustrated going back and forth with someone to find a time to schedule that meeting?
Feel so tired of writing the same kind of emails over and over again?
Let me let you in on some of the tools I use in my own business, so I don’t waste half my day doing admin work, and can put my time towards actually serving my clients or working on my marketing. These business tools will add more time to your day.
Bonus… I’ve also provided promo codes and custom links just for you! Are you ready to streamline your business?
1. Honeybook: Customer Relationship Management
Honeybook lets me get all my client admin tasks done in HALF the time! Basically, it is a CRM (customer relationship management) software for creative entrepreneurs and small business owners. It manages everything from initial client inquiry, all the way until the project is complete and you want to request a testimonial. In fact, when someone inquires on my website, it goes straight to my Honeybook account. I keep “projects” for each client, which keeps track of our emails and files all in one place. My favorite part? I can quickly send an invoice, which can be paid online, along with a contract that can be signed digitally.
I can also keep pre-made templates for beautiful proposals, emails, brochures, package offerings, questionnaires, etc. This way I don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time I need to send a proposal. I simply pull from one of my templates, and then tweak it. If you are a creative business of any kind, Honeybook is definitely worth checking out.
PRICE: Honeybook right now is $400 per year.
BONUS: Use this link to get 50% off of your first year with Honeybook! Try it out and see how you like it! (affiliate link).
2. Creative Law Shop: Legal Contract Templates
Starting a business is overwhelming. I know one of the first things I needed to figure out was the legalities. How do I protect myself? How do I protect my clients? Do I need to pay thousands of dollars to a lawyer to help me out when I don’t even have that much revenue yet?
I have good news for you: the answer is NO! There are several little online law shops popping up for different kinds of businesses, providing the legal services and contract help needed. My favorite is the Creative Law Shop. Paige has a wealth of experience, and her contract templates are foolproof. Did you know, if you collect even an email address on your website, let alone any personal information, you need a Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy page? Neither did I! But now I do, and Paige has the exact templates you need. For my specific business, I also utilize her web design contract. Finally, she offers helpful tips and blog posts on all kinds of other legalities of your small business.
PRICE: Depending on the kind of creative business you have or contract you need, many of Paige’s contracts range between $50-$400. She also bundles some of them.
BONUS: Use coupon code, PERSPECTIVESTUDIO10, and get 10% off your purchase at Creative Law Shop! (affiliate link)
3. Donorbox: Giving Platform for Nonprofits
This one is specifically for you nonprofits out there! I know many nonprofits are looking for an easy way to collect donations online, but don’t know the best program to use or easiest way to do it.
From my experience in working with multiple nonprofits, I’ve found Donorbox an excellent program to use. It is modern, well designed, and has one of the lowest fees out there. You simply create an account, connect your Paypal or Stripe to your Donorbox account, and start collecting donations! They even have the capability to collect monthly donations. You can also copy the exact code needed to paste onto your website, that will create a sleek and modern “giving box”.
PRICE: 1.5% platform fee, plus the special nonprofit rate for your Paypal or Stripe credit card processing fee.
Forget those mail in donations, give Donorbox a try! (affiliate link)
4. Canva: Design Program for Non Designers
You never thought that becoming a business owner meant that you suddenly needed to become a graphic designer! No worries, I got you covered. No need to go out and purchase the entire Adobe Creative Suite, and binge watch YouTube tutorials. If you aren’t on Canva yet, you need to go do that right now!
Canva is a program that lets you wear the designer hat, without having to know graphic design. Need a nice graphic for your blog post or instagram page? Login to Canva and choose from hundreds of premade, presized templates that you can customize with your own branding.
PRICE: Canva is free for a basic account! If you’re just starting out, you don’t need to pay anything. However, as you grow, you can get a business account for $10 a month billed annually.
Put on your graphic designer hat and give Canva a try! (affiliate link)
5. Acuity: Manage Bookings and Scheduling
Tired of the constant back and forth with clients or customers on scheduling that meeting or consultation? Streamline your booking process by using Acuity. I use Acuity both on my website, and as a stand alone link I can send to someone to book a call with me during my open slots. They simply choose an open time on your calendar, put in any details you request and you get a notification. It’s that easy! Acuity also provides the capability to make payments. For example, if you are booking consultations for $100, your customer can book a time and pay instantly. Cha-ching!
PRICE: $15 per month
Streamline your booking process and manage your calendar with Acuity! (affiliate link).
6. Convertkit: Create and Automate Emails
Lastly, let me introduce you to Convertkit. It’s another tool I’ve had for a couple years now, but still have barely scratched the surface in it’s capabilities (I’m working on that!). Convertkit is a tool where you can create, send and automate emails. Have you heard the term “sales funnel” going around lately, or “lead generating PDF”? Convertkit is an easy way to set up those processes. You can literally create entire sales funnels of automated emails to go out to new email subscribers over a period of a few weeks, or a few months! That means you’ll keep building trust and staying front and center with your customers, without lifting a finger.
Price: Convertkit starts with a very basic free plan, however, you don’t get the automated email funnels or sequences with this plan, which I think adds a TON of value. The next plan starts at $25 per month billed annually. They also offer a 14 free trial if you’re not sure about jumping in quite yet. Considering your email list is one of the most important and valuable aspects of marketing for small businesses, I’d say it’s a worthy investment!
Let your email sequences make money for you while you sleep by giving Convertkit a try! (affiliate link)
Ready to start selling your products or services online? Need to get your website up and running ASAP? Book a free consultation so you can start making that profit! BOOK NOW