The Black Friday deals are popping up EVERYWHERE, and it’s hard to decide what you NEED. Here’s a list of the services I use everyday for my business that make my life easier. I hope they make yours easier as well!
Client Management System: Dubsado
I use this everyday to receive inquiries, communicate with my clients, send invoices, send proposals, and keep my business in check. I rave about Dubsado to my Facebook group and friends. Dubsado is a life-saver, and you can receive a trial version here: http://bit.ly/dubsadosbc
Email Newsletter System: ConvertKit
Coincidentally, it’s what I’m using RIGHT NOW. I’ve broadcasted this to everyone on my list, which includes you! One of my favorite things is to pull the curtain and show you behind the scenes of my business. With ConvertKit I can contact thousands of people at once, share news, and survey what my subscribers are looking for from me! If you’d like to give it a whirl, go to http://bit.ly/convertkitsbc
Contracts + Legal Material: The Contract Shop
If you’ve worked with me or have followed my business, you know my number one stop for all legal material is The Contract Shop! Everything that protects my business from terms and conditions, privacy policy, and client contracts are from this one place. It gives me peace of mind when things might not go my way. I’ve told the story of how I almost lost $1500 but was saved by my contract. Whew, the stress was REAL but the contract was ironclad. Check out the shop and protect your business here: http://bit.ly/sbbcontract
Design Programs: Adobe Creative Cloud
I’ve been using Adobe since MySpace days—YEAH. It’s the only system I trust when I’m editing videos for my YouTube channel, designing business collateral, creating beautiful stationery, or drafting bespoke branding for my clients. For high quality designs that give my clients what they NEED for their business, Adobe Creative Cloud is the way to go, AND they’re having a Black Friday offer you do not want to miss. Here’s the link for the amazing offer: http://bit.ly/adobesbc
Accounting Software: Quickbooks Self-Employed
Probably the worst part about owning a business is keeping up with receipts and bookkeeping. Like they say, “There’s an app for that.” I immediately downloaded the Quickbooks App on my phone, so I could easily sort through my income and expenses. In order to make it less of a head ache, give yourself a day once or twice a month and organize your purchases and income. You can take photos of the receipts straight from your phone’s camera. It’s super easy. The app auto-generates everything from your bank account. I also have it set up with my PayPal, and all I have to do is manually tell QB what category (supplies, web service, income, etc) is falls under. There’s also an option to apply “Rules”, so you don’t have to tell QB your Target runs are Personal expenses each time! It applies the category automatically! You can save 50% off of QB for the next 6 months (only $5 a month) by going to http://bit.ly/sbquickbooks.
Business Email: Google G Suite
Most of you probably use Gmail. I use Gmail for my personal communication, but I up-leveled my business a few years ago with a business account through Google’s G Suite service. It gives me a business email, like the one I’m emailing you from. I feel as though hello@sarahbcalligraphy.com looks more professional than sarahbcalligraphy@gmail.com. Not only do I have a professional email address, but I have all of the Google services and can have other emails for various people. For example, if you have a virtual assistant, their email could be VA@yourbusinesshere.com. If you’re curious about looking more professional through email, go to http://bit.ly/gsuitesbc! Also, I have two promo codes for 20% off your first year if you’d like to use them. It’s first come, first serve, so snag them before they’re gone! Code 1: G6VD7RAX6LLMCK3 Code 2: W6XHKJWLNE7AQUU
Fair warning, these links are affiliate links. However, I use these services everyday for my business, and I wouldn’t recommend them unless I truly loved them. If you have more questions about what they do, feel free to reply to this email! I would love to discuss how they’ve helped me throughout my business and how they may help you with yours.
Sincerely,
Sarah