Ten Tools I Swear By and Use In My One-Person Business That Keeps My Sanity In Check
There are two sides for every penny and this post covers two sides when it comes to the tools I invest in my one-person business. There is no science here but I am presenting ten tools I swear by (on my life) that keeps my business running pristine like a BMW engine. Ok, almost. If you know, you know.
Wondering what the two sides are?
1️⃣ price
2️⃣ outlook
I understand the difficulty when it comes to choosing the right tools for your business. There are pros and cons you have to consider, on top of costs, ROI aka return-on-investments, etc. So, how do you decide when you are presented with a sea of options? How do you fight back against the information overload and the dreaded shiny platform syndrome?
The solution: this guide.
For absolute beginners, there are two dilemmas I have noticed.
🛑 Dilemma number one: the price tag on the tools
🛑 Dilemma number two: the best tool that will serve the business model
Something ringing the bell for you here?
It’s a pros and cons situation either way.
Meaning, what are you willing to let go off and what are you willing to pay extra for?
What sort of barter are you looking to get?
Keep in mind, there’s a saying that you get what you pay for.
the business toolkit dilemma for the more experienced one-person business owner
For the more experienced solo business owner, there are two dilemmas I have noticed.
🛑 Dilemma number one: finding out the tool is not serving your business needs
🛑 Dilemma number two: transitioning to the tool you really needed after discovering dilemma number one.
Sounds about right?
Let’s say when you were just at the beginning point of building your online business, you chose Shopify as your website provider. Over time, you realized that even though the ease of use and intuitive nature of the platform was a no-brainer, the cost was just not cutting it for you at $39/month just for the Basic Plan.
The problem now is migrating to the platform that best fits your needs at the moment. You not only need an extra hand or two to successfully do this in a good amount of time, but you also need to change your domain IP to the new platform.
What a load of headaches that could potentially impact your site’s SEO performance! 🤕
But wait, there’s more!
Because now you also need to learn the new platform that suits your business model better.
The lesson in this story is this: choose your platforms and tools wisely.
the ten tools I use in my digital business
It’s difficult to see what you need if you are starting out. However, I hope this list serve as a starting point. It isn’t by far comprehensive. It’s just ten tools anyway.
But if you need a better guide, join The SundayBrew to get the Mini Business Toolkit to help you get started. It has guided steps on how you can launch your own website (business or personal brand) without the tech overwhelm.
This list is in no particular order. There is no hierarchy involved at the time of publishing.
Using the legend on the right column below, you’ll see the tools that I pay for, the price based on affordability, and those that you can start using for free.
When I decide to pay for something, it’s because of the fact that it best fits my own business and/or personal needs.
That is to say, it may not be worth paying for on your part. Take into account your own needs.
Legend
🔹 I’m using for free
🔸 I’m paying for
💲 cheap/affordable
💲💲 reasonable price
💲💲💲 pricey
🔸💲
01 | coolors
What is Coolors?
Coolors is an app you can use to create color palettes, check color contrasts, and more. This is particularly helpful during the branding and design process.
For design and branding needs, I use Coolors a lot. At $38 per year, signing up for the Pro account enabled me to manage multiple brands and projects with ease.
Another perk I love about it is the Adobe extension I can use. Even though it did not make it to this top ten list, Adobe Creative Cloud is yet another design tool I use for myself and my clients.
🔸💲
02 | canva
What is Canva?
Canva is a design software tool similar to Adobe Creative Cloud. You can create a variety of designs for your social media, presentations and slides, and so much more.
If you don’t have design experience or want to learn how to create aesthetic design assets, Canva is a great learning tool for you. The free option is a good starting point.
I use Canva like I use coffee – it’s an addiction I cannot control.
I have been grandfathered into the $99/year club for Canva Pro.
🔹💲
03 | notion
What is Notion?
A spectacular note-taking app I fell in love at first use and at first sight. If you’re still using Evernote, then you’re likely missing out – at least imo.
Here’s a tip: Get Education Plus Plan for free with your school email (if you have one).
If you do, you get to enjoy access for as long as you have that email active.
Lucky for me, after I graduated nursing school, I got to keep my email as long as I kept it active.
Otherwise, the Plus Plan is $10/mo if you pay for a year.
As for my healthcare providers out there, there’s good news.
Notion has HIPAA compliance at the Enterprise level.
🔸💲
04 | google workspace
What is Google Workspace?
Google Workspace is an online productivity and collab tool. In a nutshell, it’s the paid version for Google apps that you may already be using. this includes Gmail, Sheets, Docs, etc.
The starting price for a Google Workspace Business account is $7/mo. However, there is also Google Workspace for Individuals at $14/mo. The key difference is that GW Business is geared towards teams and GW Individual is yes, geared towards one person aka solopreneurs.
What’s the difference between free and paid version of Google Workspace?
One key difference is you get to use your own domain (aka @yourdomain.com) for email. So, instead of @gmail – you can use @yourdomain.com (ex: @kimmygarcia.com).
The way I use this is a little bit different.
You see, I don’t use Google Workspace or Google Individual. I use Google One instead.
At $9.99/mo, I enjoy a whopping 2TB of storage which I use for myself and my business. I used to have the Premium 5TB plan but this was not even logical to use because I did not have 5TB worth of stuff anyway. So, to cut overhead costs, I decided to go with 2TB instead.
🔸💲
What is Studiocart?
Studiocart is a funnel-building software especially made for WordPress websites. This is a great sales funnel plugin that will help you build a streamlined selling and checkout process without having to use another platform outside of your WordPress website.
One thing I also love about Studiocart is the ability to create client journeys for my client acquisition pipelines. It also works seamlessly with other plugins such as Kit (email marketing) and SliceWP (affiliate marketing plugin).
🔸💲
06 | kit
What is Kit (formerly ConvertKit)?
Kit is an email marketing software platform designed for creators who are building their audience and business. It is an email-first operating system – meaning, you put priority in your email list as a way to grow and scale.
One good thing I like about it is its ease of use. The Kit user interface is straightforward and user-friendly even for absolute beginners.
Pricing starts at $25/mo for a yearly commitment which equates to $290/annually. This is my current plan and I haven’t looked at another email platform since.
🔸💲
07 | zapier
What is Zapier?
Zapier is an automation software that helps you create automatic workflows in your business operating system. So, instead of manually doing tasks, you can create instructions that let the tools you use talk to each other. Think IFTTT (If This, Then That) but upgraded and more improved.
For example, if someone purchases my product, then I need Zapier to import all client information in Google Sheets. So, connecting the apps you use and making them communicate with one another without you having to manually do it instead.
🔸💲
08 | chatGPT
What is ChatGPT?
If you know or have heard of AI aka artificial intelligence, then great. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has changed the way I create copy for everything. In fact, I use it on everything – from generating blog posts, headlines, emails, and so much more.
You may hate it or love it but if you run a business, putting AI to work will save you lots of time when it comes to creating content, website copy, and creative ideas.
The only thing is, let AI help you write. Don’t copy and paste what it spits out. Always tailor it according to your own voice and writing style. Your SEO (search engine optimization) will thank you later.
🔸💲
09 | elementor
What is Elementor?
Why hire expensive designers when you can build a beautiful and professional website using Elementor? This is how I build websites easily.
Elementor is a drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress without using code. If you don’t have the tech or design skills to DIY your website, buy a premade WordPress template and use Elementor to customize it as your own.
🔸💲💲
10 | kaizen OS
What is KaizenOS?
Kaizen OS is an all-in-one business CRM and systems platform for any type of business. Instead of having too many software apps (such as the few mentioned above) and websites for individual business needs, I decided to launch Kazien OS instead.
This is the backbone of my business and should be the backbone of yours as well. It is built on the Go Highlevel (GHL) backbone made for marketers who needed an almost complete one-platform solution for their marketing needs.
If you buy it on your own, pay $97 for Starter. But if you go Kaizen OS, you get API and exclusive learning tools you won’t get from the platform itself (e.g. site templates, custom sheets, email workflows, and so much more). These are ones I’ve built over the course of years.
Choosing the right tools for your business is perhaps one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make in the first months of starting your journey.
It wasn’t easy for me since I had to do it on my own. However, this is why I’m here – to guide you in making better business decisions.
I had to do my own research and spend countless hours trying to figure out the best tools. I’ve used many, seen many, and tried and tested many others (both great and bad).
In the end, if there’s one thing I’d say – make the decision early on. Consider your business and growth outlook while also taking into account what makes sense at the moment.
It’s not easy but with proper guidance, it’s doable.
