What I Use
Essentials for business and marketing.
Quickbooks Online
Bookkeping/Accounting
So many business owners are afraid to spring for Quickbooks. You guys. I pay $30/mo. for Quickbooks Online and it’s so. worth it.
QB syncs to my bank account so all I have to do is match income to invoices (which I send via QB!) and expenses to the correct entry in my chart of accounts.
I send invoices via Quickbooks and many clients pay the invoice as soon as they get it because I use Quickbooks Payments.
Reports are super easy to create and you can even track mileage on QB.
I recommend sitting down with your bookkeeper or accountant to set up your chart of accounts and to get an overview. After that, it’s smooth sailing!
Contract Templates
From The LEgal Paige
I wish I purchased the website designer contract sooner.
When I finally did, my contract went from 3 pages to 8! The Legal Paige includes so many provisions I never considered.
I feel much more protected, and I now have boundaries in place that protect my time so I am compensated for additional work.
Having a professional contract protects your business and you. It’s major peace of mind and absolutely necessary!
Even if you don’t offer a service, The Legal Paige offers templates pertaining to employees, website privacy policies, and more.
Canva Pro
DIY Graphic Software
I held out on upgrading for as long as I could, but it’s so worth it.
I have Adobe Illustrator, but Canva is way easier for simple projects, like social media graphics.
With Canva Pro you can resize designs, download graphics with a transparent background, import more brand colors and even fonts, AND you receive access to even more stock photography and icon/design elements for FREE.
Squarespace
Website (Including Blog and E-Commerce)
Squarespace is an all-in-one platform (domain, hosting, Google Workspace email) that’s easy to use. Their beautiful templates give you a great start and their tutorials, forums, and customer service reps are SUPER helpful.
The Personal Plan ($144/year) is a great foundation, unless you’re selling products. In that case check-out their Basic E-Commerce Plan!
Still unsure about Squarespace? Click here!
Not sure where to start when designing your website? Module 4 of Self-Employed School is all about website design.
Flodesk
E-Mail MArketing
Intuitive, on-brand, and all in one.
That’s why I switched to Flodesk. My emails are easier to create and I find them way prettier!
Flodesk offers more integration than Mailchimp (have you seen my Instagram feed in the footer of my emails?!), allows you to set-up your branding so changing template colors is a snap, and not to mention their templates are GORGEOUS.
Flodesk also has excellent analytics, way more subscribe form features, and their automations are simpler than Mailchimp’s.
Plus they’re continuously unveiling new features and their customer service is fab.
Looking to learn more about email marketing and Flodesk? Enroll in my Self-Employed School online course.
Adobe Stock
Stock Photography
I happily pay $30/mo. for the amazing variety of photos Adobe Stock has to offer. My 10 credits a month is plenty and I can roll them over.
My favorite feature is the ability to download previews (watermarked photos) to see if they fit with my design or blog post before using a credit on it.
Creative Market
Graphics, fonts, icons, etc.
I LOVE Creative Market. I use it all the time to get pre-made elements for graphic design projects. Sometimes Canva doesn’t have everything and you need something specific.
If you’ve taken my Self-Employed School online course, the ice cream truck in the branding module came from Creative Market!
Psst! I do earn a commission on some of these links. I believe in integrity and in putting helping others over making a commission on a something I don’t believe in. Therefore, I promise to only share resources I actually use and love. Learn more by reading my Affiliate Disclosure.