I am sharing with you the tools that I use every single day as a business owner, that help keep me on top of everything. Hopefully these apps help you feel less stressed, more organized and save some time as a creative business owner just as they have for me! 

1.) Later- Instagram and Pinterest Planner & Auto Scheduler

I have tried so many different social media planners and schedulers and Later is my favorite! Why I love Later so much is because it allows you to schedule your posts ahead of time and then it posts them for you. With a lot of other schedulers they let you schedule the post into your calendar but then you have to post it yourself and I find that very inconvenient. The other thing I love about Later is that I can see what my posts will look like all laid out before I post- this  makes it so much easier to have a cohesive and beautiful feed that flows well together. I use their premium payment option so that I can use two accounts (my business and personal account) but they also have a free option as well.

2.) AndCo-

This is how I track all of my income, invoices and expenses. As a small business owner you need a great software to track your income and expenses. I like AndCo so much because it is free, it is easy to use and it has everything I need. When I need to send an invoice to a client it allows them to pay electronically through Wepay, PayPal or Stripe. I allow my clients to pay through Stripe which accepts all major debit and credit cards. I could not do business without this platform.

3.) Proposify- Proposal and Contract

I choose to send my proposals with Proposify because it is extremely customizable and it is very visually appealing. I could use AndCo to send my proposals but Proposify has many more customization options and makes my proposal looks extremely professional. Proposify has templates for each industry so you can choose your industry and then make changes and adjustments to that template. Once I send my proposal my client and I can both sign it electronically, which makes it super easy to seal the deal! My clients always compliment me on how seamless and quick the process is for them.

4.) Dropbox- Where I organize and Send all My Files

I use dropbox every single day. As a designer I am constantly sending files, brand pictures, educational videos, logo files, designs…basically everything! I create a dropbox folder for each client I have and I share that folder with them so that we can both keep all of our project files in the same location. Whenever I am sending final project files for a website design or brand design (logos, color palettes, textures, etc.), I always send them in dropbox.

5.) Trello- Productivity Platform

I recently changed over from Asana to Trello and I am so happy I did! Trello is a productivity platform that allows you to organize your business and daily to-do’s. This is where you can create a calendar and plan out what you need to get done for the day, week or month. I like Trello because of the way it is laid out- you can create lists, boards and cards. Also, it is beautiful! As a designer, I love an attractive and beautiful to-do list. 

If you have any questions about the tools I use to run my business just send me an e-mail at hello@inspiredtidedesignco.com or send me a private message on Instagram at @inspiredtidedesign.