6 tools I use to make running my business easier

The longer I’ve been in business, the more I’ve realized that there are just things that need to be delegated in my business if I’m going to get any sleep at night. I know that when it comes to delegating, however, it can get SUPER expensive really quickly…but it doesn’t have to be that way.

These are tools that I use in my own business to keep MSC running. I will preface this with, some of these tools might be a little controversial but I hope you can see where I’m coming from for these. Also, I’ve got affiliate links below which help me keep this blog running at no extra cost to you, so thanks! :

6 tools I use to make running my business easier:

1. Fiverr

I love Fiverr. Let me repeat, I. LOVE. FIVERR. I’ve written an entire post specifically on how I use Fiverr
 
so I won’t get too much into it, but I go to Fiverr when I need something small done that can be done by a professional in a shorter amount of time than it would take me to research and learn how to do (effective press releases, for example). I’ve turned my husband on to using Fiverr and he’s now getting his novels formatted for Create Space, which I would normally do for him but…I’ve got a lot going on, you know? And now we know it’s done, and it’s done well.

2. 99 Designs

I use 99 designs mostly for packaging reasons for my old skincare business, and it’s really cool to have pros handling the vision for your packaging without spending crazy amounts of money. I prefer using 99 designs for the simple reason that I want to get multiple eyes and ideas on a project, especially because I get to see ideas I would’ve never even thought of!

3. Shopify

A few years ago I threw in the towel and moved my former skincare biz from Woocommerce to Shopify because: I cannot be my IT departmeanymoreore. I can’t! It takes so much time to troubleshoot problems. I was a little whiny about spending more money on a platform, but I realized that the money I’ve been losing due to checkout errors would more than pay for Shopifys fee (also, that 14 day free trial ain’t too shabby). I actually made a video about how to import Etsy listings to Shopify in under 4 minutes (actually it was under 2:30 but I already made the title card, you see). Check it:

4. Hootsuite

I think I mentioned Hootsuite back in 2013 and you know what? I still love Hootsuite. I’ve tried Buffer, and Buffer is cool, but Hootsuite will do more for less (read: free). I’ve upgraded to Hootsuite Pro because I want to run a bunch of social media platforms and need the extra goodies, but I used Hootsuite’s free version for about 5 years without any complaints. It’s really made my life easier when it comes to managing my social media.

5. IFTTT

IFTTT stands for “If This Then That” and is an app (Free!) where you can create “recipes” that do different things for your business…or your life if your home is tricked out with smart technology you can use it to turn on lights, set your alarm, etc. (I live in an apartment that was built in the 1930’s so…not for me).  I think I’ve really only scratched the surface of what IFTTT can do as I use it to push out social media when new blogs are posted, but it’s really REALLY nice to know that it’s set up and runs without me.

6. Instagress

Okay, I think that this one is going to be really controversial, but hear me out on this. So…Instagress automates your Instagram outreach. Some say it’s spam, and I think that if you don’t know how to use it, it can totally be spammy. But, I think (I hope?), I’ve tweaked it enough (and guys: YOU NEED TO TWEAK INSTAGRESS. “So Nice!” comments are what get you listed as spam. You gotta be original.) where it does exactly what I would do, and comments on exactly what I would comment on myself, but does it without me having to take the time to do it. I never saw Instagress as a spam tool, instead I see Instagress as my social media manager robot, as it does the exact same things a social media manager human would do, and even then it wouldn’t be me commenting, you know what I mean?
RIP Instagress, you are no more.
 
What tools do you use in your own business? Tell me what I’m missing out on in the comments!