5 Tools You’ll Love to Help Simplify Your Business
Marissa Nash | all photos by Rian Fuller (www.rianfuller.com)
As women entrepreneurs we’ve got a lot on our plates. The to-do list never seems to end, prioritizing our health can sometimes come last, finding time to socialize without networking rarely happens, and we crave more time for rest.
This is why I’m so passionate about helping women to simplify their lives. I believe when you’re able to create systems and processes in your business, you will find that you’ll have more energy, more time, and more creative space to think. I’ve seen this happen time and time again in my own business and other women’s lives that I’ve coached.
So here’s the list! Check out the top 5 tools that I think you will love. Each tool will help you to simplify, automate, and streamline your business processes, making your life a whole lot easier to manage and enjoy.
1. Get your ideas out of your head
Hands down, my favorite organizational tool for project management is Trello. Trello will help you to get your ideas out of your head and into an organized digital space that you can come back to later. You know those brilliant ideas for your business that you have in the shower or while driving in the car? You can put all of those onto a Trello “board” and come back to it later. Trello will help you to get rid of the 13 notebooks you have floating around your office and organize your business ideas and upcoming projects into one clean, visual, and organized space.
2. Use a scheduling tool
If you’re in the service industry or any type of client-based industry, this tool is for you! Even if you’re not meeting with clients day-in and day-out, you can still benefit from systematizing your meeting schedule. Let me introduce you to Calendly. Calendly is a tool that allows you to schedule your time in 15 minute, 30 minute, or 60 minute time blocks. The best part is that it syncs up with Google calendar, which means if you have a hair appointment blocked off next Tuesday at 2:00pm, Calendly won’t allow you or anyone else to schedule with you during that time. Heck yes!
I also love Calendly because it holds myself and the person that I’m meeting with accountable. Calendly will send an email invitation to the person you invite to your meeting and they can add it to their calendar too!
3. Schedule your emails
For those of you who are night owls, super early risers, or have off hours for when you’re most productive, Boomerang is going to be your new BFF. Boomerang is a Gmail application that allows you to “schedule” emails to send at a later date and/or time. For example, if you’ve just wrapped up an exciting meeting with a new business prospect or potential client but you don’t want to email a follow-up or thank you that same day, you can schedule it to send early the next morning. Boomerang has changed my life and the way that my business runs, I think you’ll love it too!
4. Hire a virtual assistant
Virtual assistants can help you with things like responding to emails, creating email templates, writing blog posts, creating a speakers kit, writing social media content, assisting in product or service launches, and a whole lot more! The best part in my opinion about having a virtual assistant is having someone to bounce ideas off of. If you’re like me and don’t need a full on team but want someone else who’s in on your business and can cheer alongside you, then having a virtual assistant is a great option. There are a ton of great virtual assistants out there! I’d start by asking close entrepreneurial friends if they have any VA’s that they’d recommend or even post in the Hatch Tribe Facebook group to see who’s out there that might love to work alongside you!
5. Automate your invoices
Oh, automation, how I love you. Invoicing and professional client services are a major part of running a successful business. Being timely, organized, and professional is so dang important. When I started using the automated invoicing system, HoneyBook, I really felt like my business stepped into a whole new playing field. Honeybook allows you to create custom proposals, send batch emails, send automated invoices, offer payment plans, track sales, and so much more. If you’re looking to automate one area of your business, I’d say start right here, sister!
About Marissa Nash
Marissa Nash | all photos by Rian Fuller (www.rianfuller.com)
Marissa Nash is a certified professional life coach and passionate about encouraging and supporting women. As a life coach she helps clients make change in their lives in areas like, gaining confidence, time management, finding balance, creative entrepreneurship, career transitions, navigating relationships, and finding purpose. A few of her favorite hobbies include traveling, reading, running, ballet, boxing, painting, and playing guitar. Marissa also recently published the book, Abide, a 40-day prayer devotional that draws women closer to God and runs the women's group The Vine Women.
Connect with Marissa
Instagram - @thevinewomen
Pinterest - The Vine Women
Twitter - @TheVineWomen