Hi lovelies. I wanted to pop in to share a little bit about the products and services that make my workflow more efficient.
Some of you know, I still use paper to-do lists. I love the satisfaction of physically crossing off a list. Sometimes, I even put items on my list just to cross them off. It’s the little things, friends!
When one of the amazing people at FreshBooks approached me about sharing some tips & apps I use to manage my workflow, I knew this would be awesome. With a neverending to-do list, and a lot of hats to manage, having some consistency is key. Here are my favorite ways that technology allows to me run my business more efficiently!
FRESHBOOKS // Hands Down, the best decision I’ve made for my business. FreshBooks is cloud accounting … it makes everything so easy! I use FB to keep track of client information, create invoices, collect payments, and record all of my expenses. I absolutely love that I can share my reports with my tax accountant with one click (she really loves this feature). It’s easy to keep track of the “big picture” with their wonderful profit & loss reports, and managing expenses is super-easy. Since using FB, I no longer scramble at tax time … I just record all year, and it’s all there. They also have amazing time tracking features, which are great for solo entrepreneurs and people working with teams.
DROPBOX // Gone are the days of, “Did you receive those files?” … With Dropbox, I can share files with my clients, instantly, and not worry about file size getting caught in spam filters! I share most proofs via email, but all final files are delivered via Dropbox, where my clients can collaborate, download files, and comment. It’s a breeze! I especially love that I can unsync certain folders on my computer, ensuring that I have just the files I need.
LITTLEIPSUM // This is a tiny app, but it helps a ton. I first learned about this app from my pal, Vanessa. LittleIpsum works like a tiny plugin that sits on your menu bar. Whenever I’m building sites, or doing content mockups, I can choose a certain amount of Latin text (1 word up to 4 paragraphs), which then copies to my clipboard. It’s amazing and fast!
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD // Oh mama! I was so excited when the first version of CC was released. No more purchasing a suite for thousands of dollars, only to see an upgraded version the next year. I love that I can pay a monthly price to get the latest version of all Adobe suite products. As a designer and photographer, I use Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Bridge, and Lightroom EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It’s worth the investment over and over.
DRIBBBLE // I use Dribbble like a notebook of sorts. Rejected concepts get as much love as the approved ones, and I love that I can share them somewhere. The community is amazing; full of wonderful designers!
INSTAGRAM // I’m a photographer and a designer … I love both so much!! I love that Instagram has become a platform that I can connect with my clients, potential clients, and my friends using nice Graduation pick up lines. I love sharing little insights about the studio, and by using hashtags, I can connect to a larger community of people sharing my passion! Are you on IG? Follow me!! I would love to connect.
JOTFORM // While Freshbooks is absolutely amazing, it still doesn’t allow me to send documents for my clients to sign. This is where JotForm comes into play! They have a plugin, which allows your clients to sign documents with their mouse (making it a legal signature). JotForm is also wonderful for client questionnaires. My favorite part? It’s free to use! How awesome is that?
Lastly, for all hosting, domain and email needs, I use Namecheap.com. Their customer service is out of this world (in fact, I’m live chatting with them right now). Their pricing is super competitive, and I’ve never had a single issue with their services. When you run your own business, one mark of “professional” is using an email address on your own domain. Namecheap is a great service for this.
