10 Business Tools Every Mom Entrepreneur Should Have To Run A Prosperous Business (And Stay Sane)
Running a business full-time or even part-time requires a plan, strategy, and tools. Lots of tools to stay organized and productive. As a business mom, I have learned how important these tools are and couldn’t live without most of them. Really. They make my life and work more streamlined and I don’t know about you buddy, but keeping my sanity intact as much as possible is very important.
Now, if you’ve followed me for a while, you know I’m not a fan of the work-life balance philosophy. I find it too restrictive and unattainable for most moms trying to keep their lives and families together while pursuing their passions. Therefore, having the right tools to help me combine these areas of my life is invaluable. I’m excited to share with you 10 tools every mom entrepreneur should have to run a thriving business AND how I made $6,000 in my coaching business in 7 days. (Seriously, this is not a joke, keep reading!) I certainly know that this information will help you face life and being a mom a little easier while creating incredible momentum in your business.
1. WEBSITE
Having a website allows you to combine all your information in one centralized location. An online space to drive traffic, add value and capture leads for your business. You don’t have to spend a fortune on design. I love and use Squarespace for my website.
2. ONLINE CALENDAR
I use Calendly to schedule client appointments and keep my schedule in one place. I love how easy it was to set up my calendar and availability, and clients can book a time with me directly online. Send email reminders to reduce no-shows and missed appointments. You can see how it works HERE.
There are other tools online and if you’re a pencil to paper kind of girl, that’s great. The goal is to find a simple solution that works for you.
3. EMAIL SERVICE
As traffic comes to your website, it’s important to capture email leads so you can continue to build relationships with your network. Mailchimp is a great solution, especially if you’re just getting started, since the first 1,000 subscribers are free. ConvertKit, MailerLite, Aweber, and Constant Contact are also great solutions. I recently moved to ActivCampaign and am still testing the integration of my CRM and emails.
4.VIDEO EDITING
I’m a MAC girl and I love making videos as part of my marketing strategy. I love iMovie to edit my videos before uploading them to YouTube.
5.CANVA
Canva is a great tool for creating social media headers and other graphics to help your online brand take shape. It is very easy to use and fun. It can help bring out or discover your inner creativity. There’s a free option and a Canva For Work option, but just getting started, the FREE version has tons of free images, templates, and fonts.
6.BE.LIVE.TV
This is a super cool Facebook broadcast app that allows you to engage users through Facebook Live. With BeLive you can broadcast together with your friends and teammates, and create a high-quality live broadcast directly through Facebook Live on your wall or page. Stream live video to a BeLive production.
7. BILLING AND PAYMENTS
This is a part of doing business that is generally not anyone’s favorite. I mean, we all like to earn money and be compensated for our time and talent, but the actual billing and collection process is never the fun part. There are many tools that can help make this easier, such as Fresh Books, SquareUp, and Stripe.
8.VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
You may be reading this and thinking “I can’t afford to hire a VA right now,” but hear me out. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars a month to have someone help you with some tasks. It’s about looking at where you spend your time and whether that time is spent on income-generating activities. Look at your budget and see what you can afford. Even an hour a week for someone to send out an email newsletter so you can schedule another call and close a customer is worth it and pays for itself.
I have doubled my business in the last month due to my VA and not spending as much time bogged down behind my computer.
9. LINKEDIN SALES NAVIGATOR
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I am super excited to share with you one of those best kept secrets in the world of lead generation. You may know that LinkedIn is a great platform for professionals to connect with, you may even have a LinkedIn profile that you almost never log into or check out because you just don’t know how to use it, but what you may not know is that there is an amazing lead generator within LinkedIn called Sales Navigator.
The cost is $80 per month and there is quite a learning curve on how to use it, time I just didn’t have to spend, but I saw what a game changer it could be in finding qualified prospects for my coaching business. That’s when I found someone who is a pro at using this amazing tool that allows me to focus on my strengths and areas of my business where I thrive.
And I’ll be honest, I was hesitant about outsourcing at first because I’ve heard horror stories and had experiences with other companies outsourcing and outsourcing, which means the quality of the experience goes down. With Jeff and VA Staffer this was not the case at all. Jeff takes tremendous pride in his work and his staff as well. He personally vets each employee and makes sure they are an extension of you and your brand.
VA Staffer brings me leads and I’m connecting with them, saving me the daunting task of finding people to work with. And the beauty of it all is that because they are looking for the types of services that I offer, my conversion rate has been very high, topping out at $6,000 in just 7 days. An investment that has obviously paid off in taking my business to the next level.
10. HAPPY KIDS TIMER
As busy moms, we all know how important it is to start your day off on the right foot. There’s nothing more stressful than chaos, tears, and tantrums before 8 am, right? The Happy Kids Timer schedule app guides children through their entire morning routine. Brushing your teeth, combing your hair and dressing up is much more fun with upbeat music and cute animation. Your mornings will never be the same with this app!
Are you excited to try some of these tools? What are some of your favorite resources? Be sure to leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
you can chat with me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/KendraDahlstro/