FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOLS

I know creating a new website is A LOT of work. There are plenty of details required that you might not have thought about. Along with content and images, you have to consider systems such as email marketing and scheduling tools.

While it can be overwhelming, I’m here to help! Here are some of my top recommendations:

CLIENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS
When you have a growing practice, having a tool that effectively helps you nurture potential clients & manage your existing client load makes all the difference. There are lots of great options out there. My #1 choice is Honeybook for the user-friendly interface (click here for a free trial & to save 20% on your first year), but Dubsado and 17hats are also popular options for wellness business owners.

COURSES
If you're looking to offer courses, I have three great options for you!

Kajabi is the top all-in-one platform for course delivery. If you are an established business with one or more courses at higher price points, it may well be the perfect fit for you. Check it out now with a free trial.

Thinkific (get one month free!) & Teachable > These easy-to-use platforms are designed for courses. With a free beginner plan on Thinkific, you can even host up to 3 courses (with limitations in functions, of course).
or...
Build the course right into your site. Let me know if you're interested in learning more about this option.

EMAIL MARKETING
If you want to send newsletters or create client email automation sequences, you need an email marketing tool.

ConvertKit & Active Campaign > Ready to really commit to email marketing? Whether you want to have automated email series or trigger campaigns based on user interactions with your content, these two providers are my top choice for clients who are well established, growing, and active in their marketing.

Mailerlite > In the past few years Mailerlite has emerged as a leading competitor to Mailchimp. Many find the interface to be simpler and their free plan has more versatility.

ECOMMERCE
I love love love ThriveCart. While it doesn't create a "shop" page like easy digital downloads below, it has an excellent interface for user checkout with options for "bump" and add-on products as well as subscriptions, free trials, coupons and more. Plus you can get a special one-time purchase price for lifetime usage. This is what I use now for all of my online sales. Check it out!

Easy Digital Downloads is a favorite storefront platform that can be easily integrated within your website. It is especially useful for selling virtual products.

Interested in Shopify? If you're wanting a full shopping cart, it's an excellent platform. Book a free consult with me to learn more about your options within shopify.

SCHEDULING & CLASS REGISTRATION
Having clients be able to automatically book and even pay for sessions through your website is quickly becoming the norm for service providers. My top options for individual bookings and group class registration:
Acuity Scheduling (higher-level plan includes HIPAA compliance for care providers), Calendly, and Book Like a Boss.

If you only need to do class registrations, we can either create a simple registration form and payment through your website or use Regfox for more functionality.

WEBSITE EMAILS
My top choice for client emails is to pay for Google Workspace (gsuite) Starter ($6/month) or Business Plan ($12/month). This allows you to have a domain-based email such as hello@mywebsite.com that is totally independent of your hosting = more reliable & faster service that is less likely to be flagged as spam. SIGN UP NOW

*Yes, you can also have a free domain-based email through your hosting account if you prefer. To check emails you would either need to use the included webmail service or set it up as a POP3 sending & receiving through your personal email account. This is less than ideal in terms of functionality. Or, some clients create a free "business" gmail such as blissmassage@gmail.com

EMAIL SIGNATURES
Have you always wondered how people create those fancy signatures at the bottom of their emails? Here's my secret!
Wisestamp > You can create a beautiful customized email signature in less than 5 minutes, including features such as your photo, social media icons, and even your latest blog post.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Having a tool to schedule your social media posts in advance is a big part of being successful in social media marketing. My favorite tool out there is Tailwind - take a look!

DOMAINS
Need to register a domain? You will get a free domain registration when you sign up for your hosting account at Websavers, but if you prefer to have your domains registered separately from hosting, I recommend Namecheap for domain registration.

PASSWORDS
When it comes to passwords, I've seen it all. Your dog's name, kids' names, birth years, favorite food, the same exact password for everything... We all know we "should" be better about creating secure unique passwords but somehow it's always at the bottom of the list. I'd like to introduce you to LastPass. I would be absolutely lost without it. Do yourself a favor and set it up for yourself today.

Don't need any of the above resources right now? I encourage you to keep this list handy, so you can access them when the need arises.