Here’s my list of 10 foundational, have-to-have online tools that I couldn't do my job without. On a day-to-day basis, I probably use and love 20+ tools, some of which I pay for, but if I had to pick ten that were absolutely essential (and free!) it would be these...
The last password you have to remember. Stores your usernames, passwords and form fills, and links with clients so that they too can share access to their accounts without revealing their details.
Free to download. You do need to install as a Chrome extension for it to work to its full potential.
Pay just $36 per year for premium membership, which gives you the ability to share credentials with multiple people and have access across multiple devices, including mobile.
Toggl is a time tracking app that allows you to track your time spent on client work (or anything really!) You can integrate Toggl into your online apps, so that it automatically tracks how much time you spend where.
For time tracking client work, select the ‘project’, hit 'Play' and your time is being recorded against that client. Simply select another client when you change who you're working for. You can then view the time for a selected period of time for each client in a dashboard report. Main features start from free!
Most people have used or know of Dropbox, but I couldn’t not include it in this list. I love it because it’s so simple to use and downloading the program means that files are instantly synced to your computer, which means no downloading when you want to access a file. Get some other people to sign up and/or use Dropbox for a long period of time and they increase your storage space on the free package!
I love making shared folders with clients so that we can quickly and easily access and edit the same files. No more waiting on emails with attachments back and forth.
I included both integration providers here because they both do similar jobs, but in different ways. I love them both equally! Once you have designed a couple of recipes (or zaps), you’ll wonder how you managed without them!
Basically, you make integrations work for you. You sign up for a free account, link your most used accounts such as Gmail, social accounts, sales funnel accounts, CRMs, Google Docs, even your mobile phone. Then you set up rules such as:
The possibilities are endless and it really is so simple to use once you get the hang of it. It’s like having our own assistant!
Whether you’re a visual person or a list person, Trello is a great project management tool. Collaborate with clients/team members, easily assign tasks to someone, create due dates, add comments, attachments and colour co-ordinate. Trello is essentially like a whiteboard of really organised sticky notes. It has a fantastic free plan, is really user friendly and you can switch on/off email notifications.
I personally don't use Trello for my own project management, but the reason I do love Trello is because it's so easy, which means if you need to introduce your client who is not tech-savvy to a collaboration tool, Trello is probably the one that they'll pick up quickest.
Fluvid is really handy for remote workers to share their screens in the form of video. This is a free Chrome extension and you can record your screen with or without audio, up to a total storage capacity of 10GB free! You can record the whole screen or select the portion of the screen that you want to share. Once you have finished recording your video, simply copy and paste the automated link to your recipient.
I prefer this to Loom, which has an almost identical user interface, because Fluvid gives you 10GB free, whereas Loom gives you 25 videos free, which is great, but gets used up much quicker. I’ve also had some tech glitches with Loom, that I haven’t experienced with Fluvid.
This tool brings your mobile phone to your laptop/PC. Simply install the app/program on both your mobile and computer, link the two and you’ll start receiving your phone’s notifications in the form of pop ups on your screen. It doesn’t get annoying because you can select which notifications you do and don’t want to see. You can reply to text messages from your computer, share access with team members, and even share files between computer/phone.
Boomerang for Gmail lets you take control of when you send and receive email messages. This is how I never ever forget to follow up with someone on an email they haven’t replied to. This is how I can work late into the night sending emails, and no one knows that I was really burning the midnight oil. This is how, when I am overwhelmed with a particularly full inbox, I can set some things to leave my inbox and return back to me at a better time. Boomerang is actually in my top 3 tools! Plans start from free, but I think I pay about $40 per year for my plan. I would happily pay more for this fantastic life saver of a tool!
Canva is one of those graphic design tools that doesn't really need too much explaining, because you've probably come across Canva already. There are three main features of Canva that make it a great tool for me; 1. I love the pre-set dimensions, so if you want to create an image especially for your Facebook banner, or LinkedIn post, Canva offers the dimensions. 2. The templates. You can create a unique and beautiful Instagram story in about 10 clicks. And 3. Folders. I can sort client designs into their own folders so that I don't have to scroll past dozens of images, trying to find their email banner that I worked on 2 weeks ago. Folders keeps everything organized.
I used Calendly for a good couple of years, and it's a fantastic, easy-to-use scheduler for both you and your customers. On the free plan, you do only get one event type, but even if you want to upgrade to the next level of unlimited events, it's only $10/month. When you want to book discovery calls, or have your clients schedule strategy calls with you, all you have to do is send them your booking link, and they can choose a suitable time on your calendar. It's so much more professional than going back and forth with different times, and them not working, and by the time they've chosen something it's been taken by someone else. Calendly (or any scheduler) takes all the hassle away.
Do you use and love other free tools in the day-to-day running of your business?
I would love to know what you use. Complete this form and let me know!
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