All of these gurus are telling you how easy it is to make a million bucks online.  Running a business is not easy. I don’t care what any smoother talker on TicTok says.

Wow… did that just hit you with a big dose of reality there but I didn’t sit down to blog to tell you nothing but bad news.  I actually have lots of good news to share.

I’m sharing my top 3 must have tools that every small business needs to create and simplify marketing and perhaps my favorite is a project management tool to keep you on track to achieve your goals.  Oh, and each of these three tools are FREE.  They’re fantastic if you’re a small team or even a company of one.

No more staring at your laptop for countless hours trying to make something work.  With these tools you can create, market, sell, track and REPEAT.

Let’s start with my favorite business partner!

1. ClickUp

Because I’m such a planner, I need a powerful but not overwhelming project management tool.  What I love the most about ClickUp that what I’m supposed to do today makes sense at a glance. I can clearly see my priorities for the day, the week or the month.

This praise comes from years of experience and umpteen PM tools later.  When I sign a new operations management client, nine times out of 10, I have to access their PM tool to see what their team is doing and how their measuring progress.  I’ve used everything from the big guys like HubSpot and SalesForce to old school tools like Insightly to new tools like Monday.com and Asana.  I am a fan of Asana but it still just doesn’t quite compare.

These are just a few to prove the point that if it’s out there, I’ve tried it.

Here’s my morning routine:

I start each day by logging into ClickUp FIRST.

The idea is to see what my priorities for the day are and then, I dig in.

If you’re just getting started, they have an entry fee for the fabulous price of FREE!

As you grow membership rates grow with you.  You won’t be hit with a whopping fee.

Do yourself a favor and stop writing your to do list on a sheet of paper that you never look at again.  AND… STOP leaving your success to chance.  Just by tracking your projects and tasks, you increase your success rate exponentially.

2. Canva

I don’t know about you but I am no designer.  My brain just doesn’t compute
graphic design.

Yet, I, much like you right now, found myself needing to do so many things that I was not super skilled at when I started my business. I remember having to google image sizes for each social media platform because there wasn’t a tool as cool as Canva yet.

Pinterest used to be filled with social media images size cheat sheets.  I bet I still have a few of those pinned.

Now, Canva does everything for you.  Their designs are formatted for each platform. You can easily resize the same design to use on multiple platforms and the designs.  The designs are A.MAZ.ING.

Canva takes the guesswork out of design and allows you to create professional images that elevate your brand. This is not a new tool but this tool is constantly upgrading to help you. I love a partner who grows to help me

Oh, and you can schedule your social media posts straight from the tool.  It actually eliminates the need to use another service like Hootsuite. (More on this later – I do still have a social media scheduling tool that I love.  I’ll share it and why I love it later.)

Canva does have a free option to get you started but this one is a tool that I recommend paying for the upgrade.  You’ll get access to all kinds of images and be able to create folders and brand kits to keep your designs organized.

You know me… I love structure.  The upgrade is definitely worth it!

o exclamation marks passionate about this one.

3. ConvertKit

If you’re in the digital space at all, you need ConvertKit.  Even if you’re not, you need ConvertKit.

Selling online can be cumbersome. Figuring out what tools you need and how to integrate them without being a web developer is tough!  It’s just tough! There’s no sugar coating it.  There is finally a tool that allows you to:

1. Grow your audience by creating landing pages and sign up forms that actually convert.
2. Automate your marketing.  Can we just pause here and say a big AMEN!
3. Sell your digital products.  Again, can we get an AMEN!  Selling digital products is the fastest growing revenue stream for business owners.

It’s a fabulous tool that allows you to build everything, including your emails inside ONE TOOL!

This is another one that has a free option BUT, I do recommend paying for the ‘creator’ package BECAUSE it allows you to automate your emails.  Email automation is a MUST!! I feel two exclamation marks passionate about this one.

We’re Partners

I use the word ‘partner’ when referencing these tools.  I am of the belief that everything I pay for should be in partnership with me to help me grow my business – either systematically or financially or both.

The links I shared are tools I use or tools I’m willing to bet my brand on. They not only help me grow my business systematically, I’ve become an affiliate partner which means they pay me for every person who signs up using MY LINKS.  Yup, I get paid by helping you grow your business.

Listen, I’ve made no secret that I’ve built a business on helping small businesses grow. This is just another one of the revenue sources in my business.

If you’re interested in learning more about affiliate marketing and create additional revenue streams in your business… let’s talk! I’ll share how I use the tools themselves and how I partner with them.

I have several other tools that I use or am a fan of.  I’ll be sharing more soon.  These three are perhaps the most meaningful tools that will make the most impact, RIGHT AWAY!

I know you need results.  You have limited time and BIG DREAMS. So, what are you waiting for.  Get started and GROW YOUR BUSINESS.