One of the first things I did as a new small business owner was to choose my online business tools. I love the process of researching and testing these - it seems like there’s always a new option around the corner. Here are a few things that I look for when making my selection:
Cost to get started/is there a free trial?
What features I get in each plan compared to the cost
How many seats, licenses or users are allowed on each plan
Ease of use
FAQ and options for contacting customer service
Will I still be able to use this tool if my business scales/afford the associated plan? What options are there for exporting or transferring data?
In this blog post, I’ll share 4 online tools that I’m using to start my business in 2023 as well as tools on my list to try next. My decisions were made as a new small business owner wearing all the hats and operating an online service-based business in the design field.
Website Builder
As a designer, my favorite website builder is Wix. It has a user-friendly interface that allows me to easily select and add elements. Wix allows for a lot of customization without the need to add code, and I’m able to align everything perfectly using the ruler tool as a guide.
The only drawback is that Wix can be a bit sensitive; for instance sometimes I have to click in exactly the right spot to pull up the tool I want. Both this website and my professional design portfolio were created in Wix.
Wix Interface for my business (this) website:
Project Management
I absolutely love Jira and Trello, both by Atlassian. I’ve used the free versions, and they’ve worked out wonderfully for all of my projects (I was working by myself or with 1-3 other people).
Both have very intuitive interfaces and offer a lot of versatility. See my blog post, Project Management for Small Businesses: Launching Your New Business and Website for more information on these project management tools and to see my roadmap, backlog, and board.
Financial/Accounting
Financial tracking is not my favorite part of running a business, but I’m actually spending the most money on this tool, and my choice is QuickBooks. I used QuickBooks while working as an office manager in 2020 and not much has changed with the interface since then. I was easily able to create, send, and manage invoices and payments and it seemed easy on the client end as well.
I’m trying out QuickBooks for my UX/UI and web design business because it’s a reputable program that is well known among small businesses.
Scheduling
The winner is Calendy, which can be integrated with Google Calendar and Zoom. I have the Essentials Plan, which allows me to create multiple event types for different types of meetings.
My Calendy Event Types:
When my client clicks on the meeting link, they are directed to my calendar (see image below) where they can directly book a meeting during my available slots. No more back and forth emails to schedule a meeting! The event is automatically saved on my Google Calendar and a meeting is created in Zoom.
What Client Sees When They're Booking:
Online Business Tools: On my List to Try
I’ve heard great things from other designers about ConvertKit. This is a marketing platform that includes landing pages, forms, email communications, etc. that allows you to segment your audience and include automations for an efficient process. I’ll definitely write a blog post if/when I do try ConvertKit. Stay tuned!
I’m currently looking for a CRM that will integrate with QuickBooks and other tools I’m using in my onboarding process. I’m thinking of trying HubSpot as I used this at a former job, and was able to create tasks and notes related to the onboarding process for each client. I’ll keep you posted if I do end up trying HubSpot or another CRM.
Final Thoughts
There are always new and glitzy tools coming out and sometimes it’s tempting to purchase anything and everything if it could potentially help your business. Here are a few lessons I learned after signing up for loads free trials:
-Even though I love trying new tools, I’m setting myself up to start with tools I know and trust.
-In most cases, I was able to find a free version that will work for my small service-based business. Expensive isn’t necessarily better for small businesses.
-It’s important for me to use tools that my clients are familiar with as I believe this will foster trust and reduce extra communication/work on my clients' part.
I hope these tools and tips are helpful! Thanks for reading!