Favorite Tools
Top recommendations for entrepreneurs working from home.
Apps and platforms and software, oh, my! Navigating a packed marketplace searching for only the best and essential tools to use for your work at home business can be a challenge.
These are my top recommendations to help you conquer the overwhelm and take you straight to the good stuff.
Note: I love these tools so much that I'm an affiliate partner with several of these resources. This means that at no additional cost to you, you support my small business. Thank you!
For Solopreneurs and Entrepreneurs
My favorite recommendation first.
I'm a big fan of Kajabi as an all-in-one solution for online business and am a happy user myself. This website plus my other side-hustle membership website is built on and with Kajabi.
It houses my courses, my sales funnels, my email marketing, lead magnets and can do even more than that for coaches and podcast hosts.
Successful users are earning anywhere from a good side income to millions. Not exaggerating. I see these power users all the time in the Kajabi Heroes community.
Reach out to me to learn more and to schedule a free consultation to see if Kajabi is a good fit for you.
There are more possibilities with Kajabi than you may think of at first and I would love to help brainstorm those with you.
Publer for Social Media Scheduling
A recent find for me that meets all my social media needs — true story. I sat down one day and created about 75 social media posts.
I uploaded them into their media library and set them to recurring and three months later, those posts are still working for me while I do other things.
The recurring post feature plus the media library are two very hard to find features together —trust me, I've researched — so I'm thrilled to recommend them to you, too.
Alitu Saves Me Hours of Podcast Editing
Most podcast audio editors haven't worked with my own learning style and the idea of hours and hours of podcast editing to get it just right just drains the gumption right out of me. Enter Alitu.
It is drag and drop editing and now they offer podcast hosting and audio clean-up, too.
It's been a game-changer, allowing me to truly enjoy podcasting (two different podcasts) without all the headache.
Best Value for Email Marketing
ConvertKit is ideal for most entrepreneurs and makes email list growth and subscriber nurturing really easy with lead magnet automations, sequences, landing pages and more.
The Free plan includes the ability for creators to create unlimited landing pages, send newsletters, and sell digital products.
To use automations and email sequences, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan.
Want a Basic Yet Beautiful Website for Free?
The Free Website Guys accept about half of those who apply to their free website program. Plus, they tell me the acceptance rate is higher for those who use my affiliate link. If you're not ready for a bunch of bells and whistles just yet, check them out.
Essentials for VAs and Service Providers
Starting on a budget? Then these budget-friendly non-negotiables are for you.
Website Creation
Your most flexible and affordable option is to go through Bluehost and follow my guide here.
Another option is to check out The Free Website Guys who create basic but beautiful free websites for nearly half of those who apply. They told me that my affiliate link increases your chance of approval.
File Management
You'd be hard-pressed to find a virtual assistant anywhere with no way to store and share files with clients.
Google Drive and Dropbox Basic are your best friends here and they're free (you can upgrade later if needed).
Task Management
Task management isn't an area you want to skimp on. Trello is an easy to use, client-friendly tool you'll fall in love with for keeping track of tasks –– and nearly everything else.
Start for free and upgrade if desired.
Design Everything
Design needs abound both for you and your clients.
You'll be surprised how much freedom you have to create beautiful social media, website graphics, business cards, documents and more with Canva.
And it's so much fun, I tell you!
Time Tracking
Log your billable and non-billable hours so you can invoice accurately and see how productive you've been.
Toggl is completely free and feature rich. Upgrade option included.
Bookkeeping
VA work isn't terribly complicated money-wise, but you do need a way to track payments and expenses and send invoices.
Your easiest free option is Paypal. See below for some even better paid options.
Creating Contracts
Your most affordable and low-risk option for closing the deal is to customize your own contract using document creation software.
You can also generate one from an all-in-one solution for freelancers such as Fiverr Workspace or Hello Bonsai.
How to Start Your Own Virtual Assistant Business
Learn the essentials of starting your own virtual assistant business with the Upward VA Roadmap, an online course for upward-minded virtual assistants.
Investment Worthy
Willing to invest just a little more for more features that take your business to the next level while saving you time? These are for you.
Marketing Tools
Want to spread the word about your virtual assistant business through social media, blogging and email marketing?
Then I recommend a paid Publer plan for social media management. It's features such as post recycling are the perfect mix and hard to find all in one place elsewhere.
ConvertKit is a worthwhile email marketing platform for capturing leads with multiple lead magnets.
Bundled Solutions
My top recommendation for an all-in-one solution is a paid subscription to Hello Bonsai which gives you everything you need for proposals, contracts, time tracking, expense tracking reporting. It's feature rich and easy to navigate.
Second runner up for all the above is a paid subscription to Fiverr Workspace. Both have free trials so you can choose what suits you best.
Managing Projects
Should you need more than Trello to manage projects, take a look at Basecamp or Asana.
And don't be surprised if your clients already know, use and love Asana. It's a popular one for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Many project management systems can be connected to Slack for upgraded communication features.
I'm an affiliate partner with many of the resources above. When you click on a link and make a purchase I may earn a commission at no cost to you whatsoever. Thanks for supporting my small business!
