When I started my business I became overwhelmed. The number of daily chores that you must do to even keep up with competitors are astonishing. I panicked. How could I grow my business if I couldn’t compete without employees? How can I afford an employee without growing? I get a knot in my stomach just thinking about those days. Those times were ended by a group of tools.
But I found a way to wear all the hats without stressing out and that was with some great tools. But even choosing a tool for the job can be overwhelming. So to keep you from pulling your hair out I will be running you through what I use to get things done. Because time is the most important asset you have and I plan on saving you a ton of it.
Social Media Automation – Buffer
Social media is the best way to meet new customers and keep in touch with current ones. But how do you keep the feed going? Can you make the time to post on Twitter nine times a day? How about every day on Facebook? Daunting. And that’s putting it mildly, so let me introduce you to Buffer.
Buffer is a social media automation tool that gives you freedom so you can breathe. Buffer lets you set up several days (or even weeks) worth of content and posts them to a variety of social networks, automatically. Which networks? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
So no matter what your social media strategy is you can get the most out of it with Buffer. And they didn’t pay me to say that. I really do love this tool.
But how much does this big bucket-o-awesome cost? Free. Sure you’re limited to a few accounts and a certain number of posts, but it’s enough to get you started. Once you’re committed you can boost your account up to the Awesome Plan, which is what I use. It serves all my needs and for $10 a month is worth every penny. Of course, you can go beyond the Awesome Plan and go full Buffer for Business. It comes with a complete analytics suite and reporting options. It’s wicked awesome, but don’t extend yourself if a lower-price model works.
Get Buffer here: Click Here To Get Buffer!
Time Tracking – Rescue Time
How many hours did you work last week? If you are a solo-entrepreneur you are probably guessing. Guessing isn’t the best tactic when measuring your productivity so let’s stop. The only way to do that is to keep track of the hours you are devoting to your future. If you’re like me, you spend most of your time on the computer and Rescue Time is perfect for keeping track of that.
Rescue Time is the tool I use to keep track of my entrepreneurial efforts. It’s a desktop app and a mobile app that monitor your daily activity. Then, Rescue Time gives you reports on how productive you’re being. So now you can see whether your innocent Facebook browsing is truly that innocent.
Best part, the app is free! Sure there is a paid version but you won’t need it, at least not right away. The free version keeps track of the essentials enough to let you be the most productive you could be.
Get Rescue Time here: Get Rescue Time
Time Management – Trello
Managing your time doesn’t have to be a struggle. To-do lists help but to-do lists are one trick ponies. Why not invest your time in something that can do more than one trick? But we will get to those other tricks in a little bit. For now, let’s talk about your to-do list.
Trello. I’m sure you have heard of this tool before, but if not you are in for a treat. Trello lets you manage your, well, everything. You can manage your business tasks, and your personal tasks, and collaborate with a team. You can even just collaborate with yourself.
Trello uses a system of boards that hold lists where you put your cards. And within a card, you can have checklists, add labels, reminders, and more. I feel like this can be its own blog post.
Another big selling point of Trello is you can get complete functionality for free. The paid subscriptions are only useful if you have a full team collaborating through the app. I highly recommend picking up Trello and learning how to use it. You can thank me later.
Update 8.16.18: Recently, another obsessed Trello fan reached out to me to share his article on Trello. It’s a lovely deep dive into everything about the platform. Which is super handy since there is a steep learning ccurveto Trello. Check out Lewis’ Trello Guide Here.
Get Trello here: Click Here To Get Trello.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) – Trello
If your business deals with clients rather than customers, you have a sales pipeline. Leads come in, you court and woo, then hopefully they convert. And if you have more than a handful of leads on the line keeping track of them can be a challenge. Trello comes to the rescue again so you can rest easy.
Just like setting up a to-do list you can create a board that’s your master CRM. Then add lists for each stage of the process. From there each lead is a card. You can keep notes and keep track of everything you have discussed. It’s a wonderful way to use this already amazing tool.
Again, get Trello here: Get Trello Here!
Grammar Checking – Grammarly
If you do business you will be writing. This could be an email to a potential client. A blog post to promote your brand or copy for your website. It’s important to make sure your grammar is perfect. Because let’s face it, the internet will tear you a new one if you mix up your ‘your’s and ‘you’re’s. You will want to avoid that by any means necessary so it’s time to get Grammarly.
Grammarly is a website and a browser plugin that, in real time, analyzes your writing. Grammarly then lets you know if you are making grammar mistakes. So, you can go to the Grammarly website and upload your post and make sure that all the grammar is correct. I even used it to make sure this article is perfect and beautiful for all you lovely readers out there.
The browser plugin that Grammarly provides is amazing. You get the same great grammar checking but across all the websites you use. So if you’re interacting with a potential customer you know your grammar will be proper and your customers impressed.
Get Grammarly here: Click Here To Get Grammarly.
Content Analysis – Hemmingway App
So you wrote a great article and you are ready to release it into the wild. Well, hold your horses there pardner. There are few more things you need to make sure of before you go posting to the internet. You need to make sure your content is readable, so you better head over to Hemmingway App.
Hemmingway App is a website that will read through your blog article and tell you how easy it is to read. Typically, you want your content to be accessible to everyone who can come across it. Hemmingway App will highlight hard to read sentences and give you suggestions on simpler words to use.
One of the best parts of Hemmingway App is that it is completely free. If you really want to throw some money at it, they have a desktop version you can download and use. That’s just a one-time purchase at the small price of $20. Trust me, you don’t need it, stick with the free version.
Use Hemmingway App online here: Click To Go To The Hemmingway App
Content Consumption
Have you ever wanted superpowers? Wouldn’t it be great if you could read as fast as you could think? Just imagine filling your head with all the great content the internet could provide in a fraction of the time it takes to read left to right. I present, Spreeder.
Spreeder is an online app that lets you insert text and read it at any speed you want. But I would start around 300 words per minute, then work up from there. When it’s running each word flashes for a fraction of a second in the same place as the next, and amazingly it’s easier to retain the information. So now you can stop putting off reading all those great articles out there.
Use Spreeder online now, here: Click Here To Start Using Spreeder.
Clearly, being a solo entrepreneur is a daunting task and you will have to wear many hats. It can be overwhelming at times, but with the right tools, you can overcome many hurdles. The most important part is to develop systems that work. These tools are just part of that system. But no matter which tools you use to accomplish your goals never stop, always be hustling. So get out there and make it happen.
