What are the best apps for entrepreneurs? What digital tools do I need to run a business?? Should I be paying? Which ones are free?
Soooooo many questions, right?
Yup, choosing the right apps and tools for your business can be tricky, especially when you’re a newbie entrepreneur who might already be feeling overwhelmed.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. I was also compensated to create this post, though all opinions are my own.
When it comes to tools for your business, here are two important things to avoid:
- Signing up to all the fancy-schmancy expensive & unnecessary tools just because you’re excited to feel like a business owner (I did this pre-launch and wasted A LOT of my money)
- Skimping on tools by only signing up to free apps (I did this post-launch when I realised I had wasted a lot of money – I do not recommend this)
It’s about figuring out what you NEED and what it is WORTH to your business.
For example, I’m happy to keep my project management tool on the free plan, because right now, it’s just me, so I don’t need the premium benefits that are more suited to teams.
However, I am more than happy to pay a premium plan for my video communication tool because I NEED to host multiple weekly group meetings and I’d like a high-quality video service for my students & clients when I do so ✌🏻
Whilst we all have different needs for our businesses and we all value different apps, I thought I would share the tools that I have found to be the best apps for entrepreneurs.
These are the tools that have been AMAZING for me and my business over the last 12 months, the tools that have just made it all so much easier!
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Here are the digital tools that I believe are the best apps for entrepreneurs…
The best tool for monetizing your content
Stan Store has made it super easy for you to sell your digital products, get bookings, host webinars and basically monetize your content, whilst providing a simple and aesthetically pleasing front-end store for your customer, which can even result in more sales – it certainly did for me!
Stan Store is for anyone who wants to make money online selling digital products or online services. It’s especially great for you if you’re struggling to convert your current ‘link in bio’ clickers into buyers like I was.
I use Stan Store to:
- Host my membership
- Host webinars & masterclasses
- Sell digital products
- Sell appointments, coaching sessions and consultations
Read more about Stan Store in my Full Stan Store Review, or go here to get your two-week free trial.
The best tool for social media/content creation
Free & Premium Plans Available
This platform could triple their prices and I’d still be saying ‘take my money Canva, take it.’ I’ve personally found this is the BEST platform for content creation, especially for the average joe who isn’t photoshop qualified.
Canva is great for creating social media graphics (both still and animated!) e-books, Pinterest pins, freebies & lead magnets and so much more!
They also updated their app last year and made it even easier to create content on the go. I would be lost without this tool. It’s £10.99 a month, but there is a free version available too which is amazing, the only downside to the free version is limited access to images & templates in their library (and these templates are goooooood!)
For sending emails in my sleep
Free & Premium Plans Available
I know many of you are probably team MailChimp, but switching to mailerlite has been a game-changer for me. It’s one of the simplest email marketing tools available and it’s incredibly easy to use. Plus, I’ve found it offers much better data and insights than mailchimp.
It’s automatic workflows are a dream if you’re someone who wants to have an automated email campaign that can send out offers in your sleep (literally). I’m so impressed by the smooth operations of my emails to my wonderful subscribers. And I’m not even using the pro-plan, I’m able to manage all my email content, send out lead magnets & freebies, and track my subscribers behaviour, all for free using this wonderful tool!
The tool that makes me [sound] smarter!
Free & Premium Plans Available
Grammarly is a godsend! You can download it as an app or a plugin and it automatically checks spelling & grammar for EVERYTHING you’re typing. I know you’re probably thinking ‘but most internet browsers do that’.
Not like Grammarly!
Grammarly makes clever suggestions on how to structure your sentences, helping me sound a little bit smarter in my emails 🤓 It will literally re-write an entire paragraph for me. I’m on the free plan and I can’t recommend it enough.
For doing the work I don’t want to do
When it came to starting a business, one of my limiting beliefs (very very limiting) was that I would need to do everything myself. Everything. Asking for help is like cheating, right? And so if I didn’t know something, I felt like I had to learn it.
That was until I was trying to create a complicated and automated ‘timehacker’ spreadsheet for my group coaching clients and I hit a wall. Excel is not my strength and I wasn’t about to waste hours upon hours watching ‘Excel Hack’ videos on YouTube!
Not when I can pay an expert on Fiverr to do it for me in less than 24 hours!
Fiverr connects businesses with freelancers offering digital services in more than 300 categories. You simply search for the service you’re looking for and then contact the freelancer whose services are within your budget (projects start as cheap as $5 – although be wary of the super cheap services, I say shop around, read the testimonials and if necessary request to see examples/portfolio).
I found my freelancer almost instantly, briefed him on my project, we discussed what I wanted, then 24 hours later I had it! Fiverr is now my go-to tool for quick freelance jobs I need doing, it’s no wonder it’s becoming one of the BEST platforms to hire freelancers. Try it out below…
WANT TO SELL YOUR SERVICES?
Fiverr is a great way to promote & sell your own digital services too. Prior to launching my coaching business I had a little side hustle creating bespoke Instagram strategies for small businesses, I ended up making a couple of hundred dollars a month. You could offer bespoke services, or you could simply sell ‘one size fits all’ templates or products if you were looking to create a passive income. They also offer a tonne of learning courses to help expand your business.
For Pinning Pin’s in my sleep! 😴
Free & Premium Plans Available
I’m going to guess you found this article via Pinterest, right!? Well, I have Tailwind to thank for that. Tailwind automatically schedules around 20 – 25 pins for me, every single day, across multiple boards, giving my content CRAZY exposure.
If you don’t quite understand the power of Pinterest yet, I suggest you set up a Pinterest account TODAY and start pinning your content through Tailwind. Pins last muuuuuch longer than other social media posts, such as Facebook or TikTok videos, and they can convert to website traffic.
For Pinterest to work you have to put out consistent content, but as entrepreneurs, we don’t have time to sit and pin on Pinterest all day and that’s where Tailwind comes in, doing it all automatically for you. Below are some of the results I’ve had over the last few months of my pins being pinned by Tailwind on group boards. To see the typical results you can expect from Tailwind click here.
And I’m not kidding when I say Tailwind pins for me in my sleep. You see, Tailwind detects the best time to post for my audience (prime time EST, which is late for me) and so it pins my content automatically for me whilst I’m fast asleep.
Discovering this tool last year COMPLETELY changed my business marketing and has helped me to book sales calls, sign clients and has massively upped my Google ranking. I eventually upgraded to the premium version (just so that I could join more Tailwind communities) but was using the free version for the first six months and it gave me great results!
Recommended: the exact Pinterest strategy that helped me to reach No.1 on Google in just five months
The tool that helps me get sh** done
After a couple of years of an on-off relationship with Trello, I’m very happy to report I’m now in a loving & committed relationship with Asana.
This project management tool is the best way to manage my to-do list. It allows me to split up my tasks by project and offers me various ways to view them, such as a calendar view, a list view, or a board view. Personally, how I view my projects is so important to me as I’m a very visual person, I need to see in simple form what exactly I need to do – if I can’t see it, it gets forgotten.
(Trello got too messy & I wasn’t a fan of the notifications)
It’s massively improved my organisation and time management. I also have the app downloaded on my phone so it alerts me when a task or project is coming close to the deadline. Bonus: Little unicorns appear when I tick off a task 🦄
The tool that helps me beat my competitors on Google
Premium service
💜 GET 20% OFF USING CODE: KSDISC 💜
Keysearch is not just a keyword research tool, it’s a full-fledged SEO powerhouse. Imagine taking a keyword related to your business and discovering all the BETTER keywords to use on your website instead – that’s what Keysearch is.
Need an example? Let’s say your business is selling crystals, and you start creating content using the keywords ‘Healing Crystals’. You would pop that phrase into Keysearch and it will show you other, much better, search terms that are less competitive, making your content easier to find on Google, such as ‘healing crystals for anxiety’ or ‘crystal chakra wand’ etc (this is just an example).
It will share the key links & URLs for your niche alongside your competitors and their keywords.
This tool is a premium tool of around $17 per month, BUT it’s worth every penny. It’s helped me to create more niche content and has massively increased my presence in Google search results!
For making ‘getting paid’ easy
Wanna get paid? Stripe is a payment platform that can be integrated into websites and online stores. It’s like Paypal but more professional (in my opinion). It’s great for linking to a product/store and it’s equally as good for sending invoices or setting up regular payments.
Not got a sales page or landing page? Stripe also offers an option to create instant payment pages, meaning you could create a webpage in seconds and email it to customers or clients whilst you’re still on the phone with them!
WISE (Previously Transferwise)
For international transfers
I use Wise for my US clients who want to pay by bank transfer without all the crazy costs & transfer fees. Banks charge a lot for overseas transfers, but Wise don’t.
It’s essentially an American bank account that I can transfer money into and out of INSTANTLY to bank accounts around the world, for a teeny tiny fraction of the cost of a usual international transfer. This is also where I have affiliate marketing companies pay me as they mostly deal in dollars.
A client in the US can send me money at 10:00 am and by 10:02 am I can have it in my UK bank account. I love this money-saving service!
The world’s no.1 video communication tool. Zoom is not only what I use to connect with clients & students, but I’ve also used it to film courses and workshops by using the screen share & record options.
Zoom also allows you to go Live on places like Facebook & Workplace PLUS did you know you can create breakout rooms on zoom? Meaning that you can host private mini-meetings within meetings.
This app is a MUST if you’re business has a lot of meetings.
OTHER TOOLS & APPS THAT ARE WORTH A MENTION:
- Google Drive
- WordPress
- Voxer
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So there we have it. I’m sure I’ve probably missed some, but these are the ones I believe to be the best apps for entrepreneurs, especially newbie entrepreneurs.
What do you think are the best apps for entrepreneurs?