Tools of the Trade for Small Business
These are the tools that I use or have used for either the Gift Biz Unwrapped Podcast or The Ribbon Print Company and that I highly recommend. Some of the links give us a small commission for pointing you in their direction. You get special offers and don't pay any more by helping us out in this way. It allows us to offset costs of bringing you the Gift Biz Unwrapped podcast. Thank you for supporting us!
OVERALL BUSINESS
DOCUMENT STORAGE
Cloud based system where I store everything. Grant team member access for sharing and have everything available when you need it. I store photos, presentations, podcast episodes and personal documents too.
PASSWORD STORAGE
I bet you have hundreds of passwords - just like me. This app keeps them protected and your security safe. I can grant people access to different systems based on what they need to do their job. They can enter in without ever knowing a password which makes for easy updating too.
LEGAL FORMS
Personalized and affordable legal solutions for a variety of business needs. Don't let the legal things hold you up.
ONCEHUB
This is the program I use so you can get on my calendar for coaching sessions, to join the Gift Biz Bash, etc. It allows your customer to schedule time with you without the back and forth. They can only book time based on your pre-determined availability.
IMAGE CREATION
PHOTO AND VIDEO EDITING
All in one design tool for social media graphics, brochures and more. Here's a FREE 30 day trial to the Pro version so you can test out all the options.
IMAGE RESOURCE
I use these images for things like social media, presentations and sales pages. Includes business and lifestyle images, quotes, graphics and more. Use this link for a 15% discount!
PROFESSIONAL CANVA TEMPLATES
Editable templates for all social media and list building purposes - ebooks, checklists, presentations and so much more. Try it out with a FREE 20 template download.
EMAIL/CUSTOMER RELATIONS/SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDER
Create effective email marketing campaigns (also known as funnels) targeted to custom audiences. Start your free trial right here.
LIVE BROADCASTING
I'm often asked about what I use for livestreaming in the Gift Biz Breeze Facebook Group. This is it! (Mac only)
HANDWRYTTEN
Deepen customer relationships through automated customized hand written communicaitons.
JOT FORM
Create beautiful customized forms to
collect emails. Use for coupon delivery, sweepstakes entries and more.
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULING
Schedule, analyze and curate content. Recycle evergreen posts and even schedule seasonal posts that expire at a date of your choice. Get a free 30 day trial period through this link.
SPRINGBOT
Manage everything for your small business in one platform - from emails to social media ads and more.
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT
MERCHANT ACCOUNT TO ACCEPT CCs
A payment gateway allowing you to accept credit cards and electronic payments through a secure IP (Internet Protocol) connection.
HOSTING SERVICE
When using a custom site created on wordpress.org, I use Bluehost. Reliable and secure with excellent customer service. Here's a special intro offer and a 30-day guarantee.
PODCAST HOSTING
Starting a podcast? This is the service I use for hosting, analytics and marketing. They are innovative and leaders in the field.
DOMAIN NAMES
I have over 50 domains and they all come from Go Daddy. Excellent customer service.
GET AND DISPLAY REVIEWS
This is what we use to receive and share customer reviews on The Ribbon Print Company website. Get a 10 day trial here.
SHIPPING SYSTEM
The software we use for all our shipping activities. It saves time, eliminates address errors and reduces shipping costs.
WEBSITE PLATFORM
The Ribbon Print Company is run on this platform. All the services you need to start, run and grow your handmade product business.
LEARNING/EDUCATION
AUDIO BOOKS
My favorite way to consume content. Reading just doesn't happen that easily - but audio does!
Get a 30 day trial including one FREE book.