Favorite Tools for Small Business Owners

Disclaimer: This blog post contains affiliate links.

Soooo… you’re living your entrepreneurial dream and are running a small business all your own. Woot Woot!

But as most small business owners learn pretty quickly, it takes a LOT of organization to keep things streamlined and working at their best.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of my own favorite tools, all of which I use in my own photography business. Scroll through to find some new faves!

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Here are my favorite tools for small business owners:

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Client Management System: HoneyBook

NOW THROUGH SEPT. 30, CLICK TO GET HONEYBOOK FOR JUST $1!!! (FOR YOUR FIRST 8 MONTHS)

If you’re a service provider who works one-on-one with people, having a client management system is a MUST. I’ve tried a couple different ones, but HoneyBook is hands-down my FAVORITE… and possible the BEST INVESTMENT I’ve ever made for my business. For real.

HoneyBook lets me create templates for what I need the most… emails, brochures, invoices, contracts, forms, questionnaires, and more. And they’re GORGEOUS, and can be customized to fit my brand. (I’ve even had a few clients tell me they booked MY services over someone else’s because my stuff looked so professional.)

In a nutshell, here’s how it works: someone completes a “contact me” form on my website and becomes a lead in my system. Then I email them my brochure, they select the services they’d like to book, and I send a proposal which contains the service info, a contract, and invoice. BOOM. Done. All email correspondence is tracked, so I can easily see where we left off. And I move this client/project through a “pipeline,” so I can see where ALL my projects stand with just a glance.

Want to see how it works in REAL LIFE? Check out this blog post where I show you the basics of how I use it in my photography business.

Want to find out if it will fit YOUR business? Through September 30th, get HoneyBook for just $1/month (for your first 8 months)!

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Business Basics: GSuite by Google

In today’s digital world, this one’s a no-brainer. Get set up with a business email address, Google Calendar, Google Docs (similar to Microsoft Word), Google Sheets (similar to Microsoft Excel), get cloud storage, and more.

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Scheduling + Booking System: Calendly

UPDATE: Since HoneyBook now includes their OWN scheduling system as part of their platform, I now use THAT instead of Calendly. However, if you are NOT a HoneyBook user, I still highly recommend using Calendly.

Yes, I DO use Google Calendar as my main calendar to keep me on track. But I’m a HUGE fan of automating anything I can, and this is where Calendly comes into play. Because instead of playing the back-and-forth email game to schedule a phone call, meeting, or even an actual photo session, I can simply share my Calendly link with my leads/clients and ask them to book a time that fits them best.

Even better… you can create all kinds of different “event types” for different kinds of clients/projects. In my own business, I have “event types” set up for 30-minute phone calls, 30-minute in-person meetings, 30-minute photo sessions, 2-hour photo sessions, and MORE.

And each event can be created with its own set of days/times from which to select, and a bumper of time on each end, too… so there’s no worry about having 2 back-to-back meetings with no time in-between to get from one place to another. You can even collect payments if you’re setting up a PAID event (I use this to schedule, book, and collect payment for my Mini Photo Sessions).

Another bonus… you can turn on automatic emails AND text messages, so they get reminders sent their way!

It’s currently only $6/month for unlimited event types, but you can also get FREE account with one event type.

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Website: Squarespace

I’ve created lots of different websites on lots of platforms (like Wordpress, Wix, Shopify,etc.), but my FAVE is Squarespace. Like anything else, there is a small learning curve, but once you get oriented with how it works, it’s ah-maaaazing, and SO EASY to customize. (Pssst… my website is also a Squarespace site, and I handle all my own web design.)

Not only does it look great on desktop, it automatically converts to a great MOBILE site without you having to change anything extra, which is soooooo important nowadays. And Squarespace is GREAT for search engine optimization (SEO), which is extra-important if you want people to be able to find you online.

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Accounting: YNAB (You Need A Budget)

Click to get a 34-day free trial and another FREE MONTH

Not gonna lie… YNAB was a game-changer for me. I’d never had that great a relationship with money, and had gotten stuck in the vicious cycle of credit card spending and debt… because as long as I had money in my account I was okay, right? WRONG!

Especially as a business owner, it’s sooooo important to keep track of EVERYTHING coming in and out, to ensure that you’re storing up for “slow seasons,” and are still setting enough aside so that you don’t cry at tax time.

The rule of YNAB is simple… every dollar has a purpose. So I’m able to easily see what I’ve made, and designate it toward paying off actual monthly bills like mortgage, electric, etc., make sure I’m setting aside enough for groceries, and can even stock extra away here + there so I’ve got enough cash for gifts at Christmastime. All my expenses (and fun stuff, too) are laid out in such a simple way that I can easily make sure that I’ve got enough money coming in for this month’s bills, next month’s stuff, and even further out.

I’ve been using YNAB for a few years, and I’ve got a MUCH better relationship with my money now.

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Bookkeeping: Bench

Click to take 20% off your first 6 months

If you’ve already got a pretty good relationship with money, or just want to delegate your bookkeeping to someone else, go with Bench! You’re assigned an actual person to import your bank statements, categorize transactions, and prepare financial statements.

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EMAIL marketing: MailerLite

This is an alternative to the more popular Mailchimp, with better pricing and options. MailerLite also offered Landing Pages long before Mailchimp did, which is what made me switch to it. There are lots and LOTS of drag-and-drop options for creating newsletters, basic emails, landing pages for freebies and webinars, and MORE. You can start with a free plan and grow from there.

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Project planning: Asana

I loooooove Asana!!! I use it to map out all my projects and break them down into smaller tasks with due dates so I can stay on track.

I also have a “trick” for using it for social media… I’ll use the “calendar view” to see a month at a glance, and then create a new “task” for each social post, so I can figure out my topic and come back to write the content when I’m ready to do so. Just copy/paste and post!

And pssst… I use the FREE account.

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instagram scheduler: Planoly

I’m a huuuuuge fan of time-blocking and getting lots of similar tasks done at ONCE, so I find Planoly toootally helpful when planning out and scheduling my Instagram posts. (Pssst… they also have a Pinterest plan, but I haven’t used that yet so I can’t speak on it.)

I simply upload the images I want to use, then drag them around to achieve the look/flow I want, and assign them a date/time when they’ll be posted. Type in my comments (or copy/paste from Asana), tag people and locations, and I’m good to go!

There’s a FREE plan that let’s you upload 30 images a month, but I upgraded to their $7/month plan so I could upload more images, multiple image posts, and have more flexibility with creating the perfect grid.

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creating graphics and marketing pieces: Canva

This is the EASIEST way to create beautiful marketing pieces for print, social media, pdf freebies, and soooo much more! With lots and lots of design templates to start with, this is how to create stunning visual pieces in a matter of minutes, with no design skills or Photoshop required!

There’s a FREE account, though I highly recommend going with their PRO account to take advantage of upgrades such as better organization, favorite brand colors and fonts, more storage, access to more templates, one-click resizing, and more.

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design resources: Creative Market

Looking to create something specific? THIS is where I go to get started. From lots of design templates, fonts, and more… you’re pretty much guaranteed to find what you’re looking for. Bonus: sign up for their weekly newsletter and receive free goodies every Monday!

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More favorite tools for my fellow PHOTOGRAPHERS…

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Digital Image Delivery and back-up: PASS

Gone are the days of broken discs and flash drives… PASS is my FAVORITE way to deliver digital images to my clients. Images are stored online for 10 years and can be easily shared with family and team members. NOTE: I use PASS primarily for delivering digital images and keeping them backed up for clients. Yes, there IS a store attached where you can upsell prints, canvases and albums, but it’s pretty simplistic at this time.

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client galleries with online ordering: Pixieset

For sessions where I want to UPSELL more, and do it online, Pixieset is my go-to. For example, it’s an easy way to create price lists and packages for my Mini Sessions, upload images and let the clients pick out what they want to purchase. It’s easy to set a gallery to expire on a certain date and send out automatic email reminders ahead of time, too. Select your favorite lab to auto-fulfill your orders, or create custom products and self-fulfill the orders.

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targeted marketing and client gifts/add-ons: sticky marketing tools

I’m a HUGE fan of the STICKY products! First up are their StickyAlbums… where you create a custom app for your clients with a few favorite images form their session (which is GREAT for word-of-mouth marketing and easy online sharing). Check out one of my sample StickyAlbums here.

Then are StickyFolios… landing pages created specifically for photographers’ needs, with LOTS of templates to get you started quickly. The one I use time + time again is for my Mini-Session details and sign-ups. It’s sooooo much BETTER to use a streamlined landing page like THIS, to make sure that you grab and HOLD their attention without them getting distracted and clicking away to another page on your website. Click to check out how I’ve used one of their StickyFolios to book my Mini-Sessions.

And finally, there’s StickyEmail. This is the EASIEST way to get started growing an email list of potential clients, since Sticky even has several pre-written email sequences and newsletters to get you started.

And since I’m all about saving $$$ whenever possible, click below to check out some end-of-year sales they’re currently running:

Special on StickyAlbums + Bonus StickyFolio Templates

Special on StickyEmail and BUNDLES with StickyAlbums + StickyFolios

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That’s it for now! But keep checking back as I plan to update this post from time to time with new favorites as they’re discovered.

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