When you're a solopreneur or small biz owner, having the right tools and resources can make a huge difference! These are the business and blogging tools that I personally use and recommend – so yes, some of them are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you decide to invest in them. I would recommend all of the following tools even if I weren't an affiliate for them!
Business Essentials
Siteground
I recommend creating your website with WordPress using Siteground for hosting. I've had no complaints since switching from Bluehost to Siteground a few years ago – and their customer service is always super helpful when I have questions!
Bluchic
For chic WordPress themes, I love Bluchic! I’ve used Bluchic themes for years and find them easy to use (and I'm totally NOT a designer)! I also use their coordinating Social Media Templates and Landing Page Templates to make setting up marketing and sales funnels a breeze!
The Contract Shop
To keep things legit, you need a contract, a Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy, and potentially a number of other legal agreements like an NDA. Don't waste time googling or hiring a pricey attorney when The Contract Shop has all of the templates you need to run your business legally!
Business Systems + Communication
ConvertKit
For email marketing, I love using ConvertKit. I switched from MailChimp a few years ago and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to segment their email list and/or automate email marketing sequences. It's easy to use and still has a lot of amazing features to optimize your email marketing!
Acuity Scheduling
This tool makes it SUPER easy for my consulting clients to schedule appointments, complete questionnaires, and pay for their sessions all at the same time. Plus it synchs with my Google caendar so I'm never overbooked! I use Acuity's “Emerging Entrepreneur” (basic) plan which is just $10 per month (there's a 14 day free trial)!
Asana
I use Asana for project management and could NOT live without it! It’s perfect for keeping projects organized and on track – plus the version I use is free! It makes planing projects, assigning tasks, communicating with team members, setting due dates and managing collaborations so, so easy. You need this in your life!
Social Media
SmarterQueue
My BFF SmarterQueue is great for scheduling Twitter + Facebook because it saves so much time. Instead of publishing your social media updates just once or having to reschedule them when you want to share again, SmarterQueue saves them in a library that you can build over time and automatically re-share. Read why I think SmarterQueue is the best social media scheduler for evergreen content in this blog post and get a 30 day free trial via this link!
Tailwind
For Pinterest scheduling / analytics, Tailwind is amazing. I love that you can schedule pins to multiple boards at the same time and the analytics are so helpful in determining which pins / boards are performing well (or not). I’ve seen a HUGE increase in referral traffic (and email subscribers!) from Pinterest since I started using Tailwind. Highly recommend – you can schedule up to 100 pins for free, plus get a free month when you sign up here!
Planoly
I've tried pretty much every Instagram scheduler, but my favorite is Planoly. I love that it allows you to visually plan your feed, drag and drop images, manage multiple accounts, post automatically, save frequently-used hashtags and easily see relevant analytics! There is both a web and app version which is great since I share images from both my computer and my phone when I'm on the go. You can try it for free via this link!
PHOTOGRAPHY
Camera Gear
I shoot with a Sony a7riii (I switched from a Canon DSLR and have no regrets!) + recommend these SD cards (they're super fast). The Sony 55ml f/1.8 Sonnar T Prime Lens is a great prime option under $1,000 and the Sony FE 24-70 f/2.8 is a more versatile option.
LimoStudio Heavy Duty Backdrop Support System + Savage Paper
This is the stand and the heavy duty paper I use for seamless backdrops. Savage paper comes in a ton of different colors and sizes and it doesn’t tear easily. This is an affordable set up for a home photography studio.
Creative Market
For a wide range of fonts, social media / blogging templates, presentation templates, icons, design elements, stock photos + more, look no further than my go-to resource – Creative Market. You can also find some of my stock photos on Creative Market!