Tools My Business Can’t Survive Without
A little over a year ago, I left my former job as the director at a video production company to start my own business. And it has been a wild and amazing ride so far. I told myself that I would try owning my own business for about a year and if things weren’t going well that I would start applying for jobs elsewhere. Well - spoiler alert - things have been going well! I managed to get enough clients and project in my first year to completely sustain myself financially and stay in the green! I went from working full time at another video company to working full time for myself in a matter of a few weeks. I know a lot of people prefer to ease their way into self-employment and maintain at least a part-time job to help with finances, but unfortunately, I didn’t really have that option. So I had to go all in and see what I could do for myself.
There are a few things that have been SO helpful in keeping my business, clients, projects, and life in order, and I’d love to share them with you.
First things first - HoneyBook. When I jumped into owning my own business, I got a client pretty fast who needed things from me - proposals, contracts, and invoices. And at two weeks into my business, I had no idea where to start with those. That’s when HoneyBook came in. They have a ton of easy to use templates for all the documents I was needing to create, and help manage your projects in an organized pipeline. They also allow you to send invoices and get paid online, which has been a lifesaver for me and my clients who needed a fast and easy way to pay. If you’re interested in trying it out, you can use my referral link for 50% off your first month -that’s only $20 and I promise it will make your life so much easier. My favorite feature right now is that it will automatically send clients reminder emails when they have an upcoming payment or if payment is overdue. No more tracking people down for late or missed payments!
If you’re looking for something a little more customization, I also love Qwilr for creating beautiful project proposals and storyboards that always impress my clients. Qwilr has a lot to offer, but my favorite thing is creating really visual proposals for clients or creating professional-looking landing pages for them to review their videos. They have tons of beautiful images to customize your proposals with, or you can upload your own, or embed a video. Qwilr has definitely helped me and my business stand apart from other proposals. They do contracts and quotes as well! If you’re wanting to try it out, why not use my referral code!
Pixieset has been another lifesaver for me. I have done a lot of photography for clients over the past year, and always felt weird about sending a Google Drive link to view their photos - it just wasn’t professional in my opinion. And sending a thumb drive of images through the mail could take too long, especially for my clients that needed quick turnaround times. Pixieset changed the game. It’s a beautiful way to send galleries to clients, and the best part is that the client can view, save, download, and even create favorites albums all from the link I send them. You can check out my Pixieset portfolio, and here’s another referral link if you’re interested in trying it out!
Ok, so I’m sharing a lot of referral codes here.. But why not? These sites have seriously helped me and my business grow and stand out, and I have other freelancers asking me all the time if I have any tips to help them grow their business as well. I have been so much happier and enjoyed work so much more since starting my own business and I would love it if I could help someone else find that as well, so try out the sites! The sites I’m sharing have helped me deliver professional-looking proposals, invoices, quotes, and final projects, and that is what is going to leave a lasting impact, and ultimately lead to the client referring you to others.