Launching and scaling an online business is hard, especially when you don’t know what you don’t know!
I have been there. And let me tell you, it is PAINFUL! Nobody gave me a list of resources and links that I was supposed to be using on my online businesses.
Heck, all I knew was that WordPress was the way to go at the time. I didn’t know anything about consistency, automation, marketing, or how to grow.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the list of resources I have used and recommend to launch and scale my online businesses without holding anything back.
I’ll also throw in an explanation of why I love those resources and what they can do FOR YOU! 🙂 Unlock it for free below, and PLEASE let me know your thoughts.
[et_bloom_locked optin_id=”optin_9″]The ENTIRE list of resources for a successful online business
Website (or blog)
- WordPress Site: I know that you can create a website on different platforms, but WordPress is the one that gives business owners more freedom and choices due to the unlimited plugins. Plus, you can customize it however you want.
- Elegant Themes (Divi): I recommend the theme Divi from Elegant Themes. It is the one I use and I can customize it however I want with templates and its amazing page builder. It has a free version that you can download, but the paid version is fully-customizable and your imagination is the only limit. Remember that your site is the face of your business, and it needs to look sharp and presentable.
- Hosting with BlueHost: There are various hosting companies out there. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I used to recommend a different company… until I came across BlueHost. BlueHost is significantly cheaper and provides greater value. Its customer service is amazing and your website will always be supported.
- Ubersuggest: This is a free tool from the one and only Neil Patel. I use this tool when trying to come up with new content ideas, when I try to see which keywords are going to convert best, when I want to know how competitive my keywords are, and to check on my competition!
- Editorial calendar (consistency): You can use any calendar you want. The important thing here is for you to mark on your calendar how often you are going to put out content to keep your audience engaged, and stick to it!
Creative Stuff
- Canva: A great business needs great images. I use Canva to create the images on my sites, logos, banners, videos, Instagram posts and stories, you name it. The free version is beyond perfect, but I recommend you to sign up for the free trial and design as much as you can with their premium featuresbefore your trial is up. Trust me, you’ll love it.
- Unsplash and Pexels: Free stock images: Yes! 100% FREE ($0) and no strings attached. These are the sites where I find amazing stock photos for my websites and projects.
Selling Online
- Printful: I am notorious for printing on demand! This is one of my favorite business models and the one that fills my heart. Printful is an amazing company where you can create and sell your products for free without any inventory. Sell anything from t-shirts and mugs to hoodies and pillowcases. Seriously, anyone can create and integrate this online store for free.
- Shopify: If you choose to create an online store with Shopify, you will get a free 14-day trial. I challenge you to learn as much about marketing and Facebook ads as you can prior to signing up so that when you claim your trial you are ready to go and ready to sell. You can also integrate Printful with Shopify 🙂 One click is all you need.
- Payhip for digital downloads and memberships: I don’t use Payhip for memberships, but I LOVE IT when it comes to selling digital downloads. There are ZERO monthly fees and they only take a small percentage out of your sales.
Marketing
- Business Pinterest: You can create a free Pinterest Business account and start connecting with your desired audience by creating pins. Of course, I create pins using Canva (mentioned up there). Make sure they are attractive and make sure your copy (the words on it) are a natural magnet.
- Tailwind: I use Tailwind for two platforms: Instagram and Pinterest. When it comes to Instagram, I can schedule my posts and videos directly from Tailwind and it will also generate high-converting keywords for me. Moving on to Pinterest, it literally changed the game! Within Tailwind, you can join tribes that are specific to your niche and share your pins there along with other people’s. You will all share each other’s pins and believe me, you will get A LOT of traffic if you are consistent and strategic. You can also schedule pins.
- Convertkit or Mailchimp: Email marketing is a must for every business. Both Convertkit and Mailchimp have free plans which are very limited but they work just fine when you are starting to scale. You can schedule your email campaigns. Make sure that your audience gets something valuable from each email. PLEASE, for the love of everything holy, do not spam!
- HelloBar: This amazing plugin and software will add banners, pop-ups, exit intents, widgets, and anything your website needs to get conversions. You can get your audience to book a call, go to a different link, leave their email addresses, and much more. The best part? They have a free plan. Yes, it is limited, but convenient when you are starting to scale.
- Subscribers: I use Subscribers to send push notifications to my readers directly to their computer browsers. They have a free plan as well, but I recommend a premium version when you have collected enough subscribers because the free plan is limited.
- Facebook Blueprint for ads: If you want to learn how to create Facebook and Instagram ads but are on a budget, you can learn from Facebook directly and for free! There are no excuses for you not to do your own ads now. Their training is easy to follow and very straight forward.
- Interact for quizzes: I have created numerous quizzes on my website. Using Interact, you can create your very own interactive quizzes and collect email addresses from your visitors. Just make sure that your quizzes have a purpose and that your visitors get value from them. Remember that your business is supposed to be about them, not you! And yes, it has a free version.
Podcasting
- Anchor: I use Anchor to host my podcast. As you will notice, the first 10 episodes of The Empowered Affluence Podcast will be sponsored by them, and hopefully more. They are 100% free! They will also distribute your podcast for you so that it can be heard in almost every single listening platform including Apple and Spotify!
Business Inquiries
- HubSpot for CRM: You are officially a businessperson, and you must play the part. A CRM will allow you to keep track of your contacts, leads, and customers in one place. Hubspot is my all-in-one solution, and they also offer free certification classes which include marketing (I took it). A software like HubSpot will be necessary when working directly with clients!
- G Suite: My professional email, as well as my team’s, was created with G Suite, a service from Google. Aside from the emails and the amount of space, it comes with amazing collaboration and productivity tools that allow me and my team to get things done.
Legal
- QuickBooks: One word: bookkeeping. As a business owner, you must know where your money is going. Not only will you keep track of and label your transactions, which will make it easy when filing taxes, you will also have amazing features such as invoicing and maximizing your tax deductions, among other things. I like seeing it this way: it is an investment that I will get back because it saves me money. Its ROI is high.
- The Contract Shop: You may be able to run your business from anywhere, but you still have to worry about the law (don’t get sued). To help you accomplish this, make sure that your website has all of its recommended and required disclaimers such as affiliate disclaimer, terms of service, privacy policy, etc. This all depends on your industry and niche. To make things easy on you, I recommend you save yourself a headache and purchase them from The Contract Shop.
Disclaimer: This list of resources may contain affiliate links. This means that if you decide to purchase any of the products mentioned I will get a commission at no extra cost for you. Yes, it means that we profit, but that’s what keeps this business running 🙂
Trust is everything and our business is built on love and ethics. We only recommend tools that programs that we use and love, and what we create ourselves for your success. We genuinely care about you and understand that we are not for everyone.
We will occasionally add more resources to this list!
YOUR ACTION STEP: Leave a comment below with your top 3 resources from this list, and how you plan on implementing them on your business! We cannot wait to read!
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