I have been in business for over 13 years now. In that time, I’ve used a lot of apps, websites, and products to grow my businesses. Some products and companies worked well for me, and others did not. To help you as you build your business, here is my ultimate list of my favorite products for running a business.

 

I’ve talked before about my love for WordPress when building and running a website. If you haven’t read my blog post about how to start your blog, check it out here.

Bluehost

Bluehost is my preferred website hosting company. I’ve spoken often about my love for their company and my experience with hosting my site with them. Find those posts here and here.

Restored 316

Easy to use and customizable WordPress themes. These themes are so easy to use, my 13 year old is customizing a website right now on his own! See what I’m talking about here.

Wix

Wix allows you to build a website quickly and easily, and even for free if you like. I wrote a comparison of Wix vs WordPress here. Check it out to see which one is best for you and your business.

Acuity Scheduling

Acuity helps me to schedule appointments and calls with my team, my clients, and anyone else I need to conference with. Thanks to Acuity I don’t have to run around trying to get schedules to match up. There’s nothing worse than playing phone tab, right? For this reason alone, Acuity has made the list of my favorite products for running a business. Find out more about why I love it here. 

HoneyBook

Click the link above for 50% off. HoneyBook allows you to get your business organized with tools for the modern creative professional. I use HoneyBook constantly in my business. It keeps me organized and helps me to look more professional with my clients. Here are a few blog posts covering the many ways I use HoneyBook in my business.

Trello

Trello is like a virtual post-it note bulletin board. You can collaborate with your team virtually, quickly and easily. It allows me to store links and deadlines and share them with my team easily. I love using Trello in my business. See why I love it here and here.

Monday

Monday.com is an online platform that allows you to manage multiple projects, clients, and employees in one place. My team and I love it for how easy it is to use and how it keeps us organized. I not only post to my own website/blog/Pinterest but I also take care of the blogs/websites/Pinterest accounts of some of my clients. Monday.com allows us to stay on top of the different deadlines for each account we are servicing. It also lets us work together on projects by providing a platform that makes communication easy!

 

Haute Stock

Haute Stock gives me access to stylish stock photos and design assets for my online graphics and posts. Are you tired of using the same stock photos as everyone else? Haute Stock may be the answer you’re looking for! Find out more here and here.

Ontraport

Ontraport lets me do all of the things I need to do for my business, courses, and email marketing in one place. I love that I don’t need multiple companies and websites to run my business. It is truly the best. For everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Ontraport, and a little bit more, read my posts here, here, here, and here.

Flodesk

Flodesk is the new name in email marketing. If you’re looking to get started with your email list and you want to send beautiful emails, check out Flodesk. Use my link to get 50% off your monthly fee for life which makes it $19/mo instead of $38. Find out more about Flodesk here, here, and here.

Brittany Ratelle

Brittany can help you get your creative business legally legit. Whether you need templates for your online business or you need to talk to a real lawyer 1:1, she’s your girl. Be sure to use code michelle10 for 10% off templates in her shop. And for more on why I love Brittany, check out this post.

Planoly

Planoly lets you plan out and schedule your Instagram posts ahead of time so you can more easily batch create your content online. I love that I can save so muh time by using this app. To find out how I use Planoly check out my posts here, here, and here.

Tailwind

Tailwind is known for it’s ability to help you schedule out your Pinterest content, and now they’ve added the ability to schedule Instagram posts, too! On top of scheduling your content for you, Tailwind also gives you access to analytics so you can optimize your pinning. Genius. Here are a few posts about why I love Tailwind. Find them here, here, here, and here.

Interact Quiz Maker

Have you seen those cool quizzes other entrepreneurs have made and wondered how you can make your own? Interact is the place to do that. I use Interact for my own business and for my clients. Here’s a post about the power of quizzes.

Zoom

Thanks to Coronavirus, Zoom is now a household name. But besides being the place you go to check in with your kid’s teacher during quarantine, Zoom is also a great place to do video conferencing for your business. I use it to speak with clients virtually and to hold meetings with my team across the country. This is part of what makes Zoom one of my favorite products for running a business. Also, did you know you can also do webinars on Zoom? Find out more about why I love using Zoom here.

Grove Collaborative

Granted, Grove Collaborative isn’t necessarily a business-specific company. But, I find that when my home life is running smoothly, my business runs smoothly, too. So, I use the subscription option on Grove Collaborative to help my brain stay on top of the products my family needs to keep the house clean and sparkling. You can use the link to receive a free 5 piece gift set with your first order.

My favorite products for running a business can change through the years. But the products I’ve listed here in this post are my tried and true products that I use consistently. Whether you are new to building your business or a seasoned pro, these favorite products for running a business can benefit you.

Are we friends on social media? Find me on Instagram @IamMichelleGifford and lets get to know each other!

And if you’re looking for more detailed business coaching, check out my Money Makers business coaching group here!