There should be an award show, made specifically for entrepreneurs, who have successfully worn ten plus hats in starting their business and manage to keep the company afloat. Like the social media assistant, executive accountant, project manager, CEO, janitor, customer service, IT specialist, web developer, PR Maven Award. It could come with a little statue, a free massage and a free personal assistant who can take at least three of those jobs off your hands.
A girl can dream, right?
Lots of us have taken advantage of this time in history where the internet makes starting a business easier than ever. And with President Trump’s new Tax plan benefits for pass through businesses, it could also be one of the most profitable times as well.
But let’s face it, there’s wearing a lot of hats — and there’s working smarter. Just as there are lots of tools that not only help you reach new customers and grow your businesses online, there are others that will help you talk to those customers in a seamless, beautiful and engaging way. And we’ve found five that we think you’re really going to love.
Do Your Own Graphic Design with Canva
Having a great design system throughout your products can either make or break your growth potential. And if you haven’t done your Malcolm Gladwell one-thousand hours in photoshop or a design program, then Canva is going to a lot of the leg work that often keeps you staring at a flyer design for six hours wondering if you have the font.
Canva is a graphic design software, created by real graphic designers, that is making a lot of lives easier. You can create stunning ads, infographics, e-books, reports, business cards, presentations, email invitations and more in no time. The program is subscription based that allows you to have a free account, with access to over 8,000 templates and a monthly subscription of $12.99 that will give you full customization of your product.
Generate your own PR with HARO (Help A Reporter Out)
Here’s a little trick that’s popular amongst journalist but so few brands are aware of. It’s called Help A Reporter Out, where reporters from prominent publications (Elle, Forbes, Paste, Fatherly, NBCNews.com, etc.) look for sources for future articles and content.
It’s easy to use — and free; just sign up for an account and select the email lists that you’d like to receive notifications on. And that’s it! HARO pushes out three email blasts a day, with all new stories for you to comb through and weigh which publication has a need that you can fill. Then you just reply back to the reporter as instructed, cross your fingers, and hopefully they pick up your quote!
Consulting while you sleep with Teachable
Consulting gigs are great, because you can most often charge really well for your expertise. But the downside of your income being tied to your time often leave one with the aching stress of constantly feeling like they must be working!
One of the newest trends we’re seeing online is the grown of e-courses. They are a great way for experts to share their knowledge to thousands of people without ever having to be there. You can literally make money, while you sleep. Teachable makes the entire process easy, with step by step guidance on how to make your product stand out, and reach the right audience. You can build everything on their site, host multiple courses and have access to their support team every step along the way. It’s a great option for an expert who’s looking to make that 4 hour workweek a more comfortable (and stable) reality!
Edit your own videos with Cameo
Having a great social media game is important — and nothing screens generic like an iMovie title treatment. Yuck. Instead, try giving you content a boost with Cameo, Vimeo’s video editing app for your phone.
They have custom filters, beautiful typographic overlays and a host of musical artists that have given users copyright permission to use their music in their videos. (And if you aren’t familiar with copyright laws in music — peep them here. Muy importanté!) From reggae, jazz, pop to cinematic, they have a host of incredible songs that brands can use freely without worry of infringement.
Be your own protection with 1Password
We know that you have heard this before. We know it’s a pain in the ass. But nothing will feel nearly as horrible as when your digital accounts have been hacked. Your products deserve better. Your customers and their credit cards deserve better. Your employees and your vision deserve much, much better!
Did we scare you yet? Good!
1Password is an auto-generating password application that is easy to use and will save you a lot of heartache in the future. When synced with the phone app, no matter where you go, you will always have your passwords at the tip of your finger tips. They even have web browser extensions that will remember your passwords, too.
So there is no need to worry that you’ll never remember how to log into an account. And even if you find it annoying — just remember the Sony cyber attack in 2014. If you have the funds to handle that kind of PR disaster, then maybe you don’t need an app like this.
But my guess is you don’t, so buckle up, ladybug! This will be the one investment in yourself that you won’t regret.
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