Helpful Resources
Are you a designer, creative entrepreneur, or small business owner? If so, this resource guide is for you.
I’m sharing my favorite tools of the trade and the top resources proven to have helped me take my business to the next level.
As a one-woman creative studio, I’ve invested a lot of time, effort, and money testing out tools and resources that could help streamline my business. As a former Silicon Valley techie, I am all about the next best thing if it means it’s going to save me time and elevate my process. I want to help YOU avoid the mistakes I’ve made and set you up for success. So here we are! This guide is meant to inspire you and help you and your business grow.
P.S. Think I’m missing something? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Business Operations + Project Management
Calendly helps you schedule meetings without the back-and-forth emails. Clients can simply find a time that you set up as “available” and it automatically gets added to your calendar. It’s been a lifesaver for me since I’m currently working in different time zones.
I use the self-employed version to track all my expenses, receive payments and easily file my taxes ever year. My favorite part about Quickbooks is that you can see your profit and loss in real-time as well as quarterly tax estimates which sometimes are painful to look at…
TeuxDeux is like a digital note pad that you can access wherever you go. Tasks roll over. Unfinished to-dos move to the new day when the clock strikes midnight. The UI is also really visually pleasing and customizable.
ALL my files live on Dropbox. I love that I can easily access them no matter where I am in the world! I can also easily share files with clients and even get specific feedback in the comments section.
Probably my biggest secret! I don’t actually give clients my real phone number… I use Google Voice for calls + texts in order to keep a healthy work/life balance. It’s also great when I’m working abroad!
Stock Photography & Mockups
Pexels
Free stock videos and photos you can use everywhere. Free for commercial use with no attribution required. I love them because there’s a lot of inclusive and diverse imagery to choose from.
Moyo Studio
Need beautifully curated minimalist and modern stock photography and easy to use mockups for your next project? Moyo Studio is the #1 business tool I recommend to creatives if they want to up-level their business. Their work is truly ART.
Unsplash
Beautiful, free images and photos that you can download and use for any project. I recommend following contributors of the work you download to get updates as they upload new content!
Social Media + Marketing
Squarestylist enables people who absolutely hate coding (like me) to create beautiful Squarespace websites with easy plugins and tutorials. Seriously a super easy way to quickly upgrade any website and give it a custom look in an affordable and quick manner.
With Tailwind you can literally plan out a year’s worth of content in advance. Save time scheduling to Pinterest and Instagram, post at the best times for engagement, and get super actionable analytics.
Save time managing your social media channels. You can easily plan, schedule and publish posts with Later. My favorite thing about this tool is that it lets you measure the results of your posts from one place.
I swear I am not biased because I worked there! Honestly, 95% of my project leads find me on Pinterest.
Join the waitlist for my course on Pinsider tips + tricks on how to use Pinterest as a marketing tool!
The Lifesavers
If you’re like me and HATE exporting files for clients, this extension was MADE FOR YOU. Logo Package Express is an Adobe Illustrator extension that will export every logo file and format that you could ever dream of in under 5 minutes. Use the link for a special discount!
Need beautifully curated minimalist and modern stock photography and easy-to-use mockups for your next project? Moyo Studio is the #1 business tool I recommend to creatives if they want to up-level their business. Their work is truly ART.
The absolute best contract templates for freelancers and small business owners. If you're a service-based business, creative entrepreneur, designer or photographer you’ll want to ensure you’re covered!
Photo Editing & Content Creation
This app let’s you create beautiful and engaging stories from minimal and elegant templates that you can easily customize and share on social media.
Such a fun and easy tool to create your very own animated GIFs! BTW, in this nook we don’t judge how you pronounce the stupid word.
VSCO allows for you to edit photos and videos on your phone and even save custom presets so that your feed can always look cohesive and on brand. My favorite filters are N1 + M5.
Creativity
Printed Collateral + Packaging
Highly recommend them for postcards or any larger printed materials. If you’re looking to do custom stationery they are also a great option and don’t require large orders.
I use Zazzle for all my clients’ business card needs. They’re always having a sale and their products are super high quality. The quick shipping is also a bonus!
Easy, bespoke, branded custom packaging! I love their custom tissue paper as well as custom designed tape to ensure every touch point of the client experience is on brand. Their label & sticker game is strong too.
FYI - I am part of an affiliate program with many of these companies and may be rewarded for spreading the word, but only because I strongly believe in them!
