Budget-Friendly, Non-Overwhelming Online Business Tools

Aug 30

Whether you’re trying to create a solid biz foundation or grow while keeping things simple, these are for you!

Buckle up, buttercup, the links/bookmarks are coming!

When I first got Little Flame off the ground, I knew that I needed some tools to help get the biz legit, organized, and feeling professional. I was surprised, though, by how few options there seemed to be out there for newish solopreneurs without huge budgets and teams!

I didn’t have the resources (or, tbh, desire) to…

Purchase a single contract template for $800
Sign a retainer for a bookkeeper for my solo biz that has like 5-10 regular expenses each month
Spend $3000 (or two months of bad DIYing) to set up the most complicated system ever in Asana when I’m just organizing… myself.

But with plenty of trial and error (and some regrettable purchases that shall not be named), I’ve finally found a lot of resources that I can happily recommend!

So I’m here to share with you some of my fave budget-friendly, non-overwhelming, and not-common-knowledge tools that have helped me build my biz. (*Meryl Streep voice*: Asana? For project management? Groundbreaking.)

FINANCES

Bookkeeping:

The Exceptional Business Course - The course includes a ton of content about choosing a business structure and figuring out taxes, but IMO, the BEST part is the bookkeeping spreadsheet. It’s an accountant-created Google sheet with all the formulas and fields you need to track your revenue and expenses clearly (without getting overly complicated). If you’re not yet ready to automate your bookkeeping or hire it out, you need this. Seriously! You also get quarterly calls with Nacondra, which is amazing - I come with a list of $ Qs and she answers them all.

Banking:

Relay - I never thought I could love a bank until I started banking with Relay. Head’s up that you can only bank with them if you’re an LLC (which is honestly a giant bummer as I would abbbbbsolutely do my personal banking with them too), but I can’t recommend it enough if you are! No BS annual fees, ACH transfers are free, you can easily create multiple accounts for your biz (super useful for setting aside $ for taxes, operating expenses, etc), and it’s really intuitive to use. For the first time ever in my life I don’t dread moving money around or making transfers.

*this is a referral link (you get $50 if you decide to sign up!) and that is proof that I really do love Relay because I never thought I’d be voluntarily advertising for a BANK of all things, ha!

Managing Money:

Profit First by Mike Michalowicz - If you just want a roadmap for how much you need to set aside for taxes, how much of your revenue you should make available for operating expenses, and how the hell to actually pay yourself, start with Profit First. I was SO freaking relieved once I read this book and implemented a simple, consistent approach to managing my revenue and expenses.

LEGAL

The Contract Vault - The Contract Vault is basically magic. Just $30 for a HUGE RANGE of attorney-created customizable contract templates AND a Facebook group where you can legit place requests for new contracts. I freaking love that Braden Drake decided to create a low barrier to entry way for entrepreneurs to create good contracts (byeeee, $200+ templates) and I also love that he’s honest about why he prices the vault so low (because it often attracts people into his also-great program Profit Rx!).

*this is an affiliate link because the Vault is legitimately the shit!

SCHEDULING, CONTRACTS, AND PAYMENT

Honeybook - Weird category? Yes, because Honeybook does it all. I’m sure you’ve heard of HB before and I have no particular opinion on the eternal Dubsado vs. Honeybook battle, but HB’s what I use and it has definitely made my life easier. I don’t bother using a ton of automations but it really is convenient that proposals, contracts, invoices, payments, and call scheduling are all-in-one.

*this is an affiliate link - you can snag 20% off your first year if you wanna save some $.

VIDEO MEETINGS

Whereby - Zoom’s not free for unlimited time 1:1 meetings anymore (womp womp), and I didn’t feel like paying that much for the privilege of video meetings so I switched to Whereby. Google Meet is the obvious free option, but I find it a little counterintuitive to screenshare and record there, so Whereby’s the solution for me. At $6.99/mo, it’s cheaper than Zoom, and actually if you don’t need to be able to record, you can use it for free!

GETTING & STAYING ORGANIZED

Trello - I keep all of my content ideas and future posts in Trello. Overcomplicating social media is nawwwt my jam, so I just have a simple board with a few columns (IG posts, Newsletters, Blog Posts). I draft the text in the cards, attach the Canva graphics, set deadlines, and then drag the cards over to the Published column once they’re online. The app on my phone also comes in super-handy as I get a ton of ideas whenever I’m NOT planted in front of my desk, and it’s easy to add cards on the go. (Voice-dictating them while on the spin bike? Me? Never.)

GQueues - At this point I wouldn’t be THAT surprised if you found me standing on the roof of my house shouting about how much I love GQueues. It is THE SOLUTION if Asana and ClickUp feel like more work than they’re worth to you and you already work in Gmail, Gdocs, etc anyway. It integrates with your Gcal legit SEAMLESSLY so you can add tasks and deadlines unbelievably easily. It took me less than an hour to build out queues for my client roster right now and get everything up and running. Also, it’s literally THREE DOLLARS PER MONTH. It is the best. It is everything, Marry me, GQueues.

*this is an affiliate link because I thought my brain didn’t work with project management tools until GQueues entered my life and now I am determined to share this best-kept-secret with everyone like me!!!

BUSINESS COACHING

If you’re starting a biz:

90 Day Business Launch - 90DBL is absolutely what pushed me over the entrepreneurial start line. I was stuck in fear and “what to do when” overwhelm and the program gave me a roadmap to get the heck out there and commit! (And now, I teach copywriting in the program! You get my absolutely bangin’ private resource to DIY your website copy, too.)

*this is an affiliate link because I obviously sincerely recommend it!

If you already have a biz:

The Gentle Business Membership - Ashley Beaudin is a freaking BLESSING and this membership is such a special and helpful community. I’ve learned so, so much about building a business that actually embraces who I am, and it’s helped me unravel a lot of the “traditional” business advice that doesn’t suit me at all. No more harshness and hustle. Everything Ashley teaches is gentle-but-practical and I am SO grateful to have this source of support as I grow.

WEBSITE

Big Cat Creative’s Squarespace templates - What to do if you’re not ready to hire out a custom website but you struggle to make Squarespace’s standard templates look halfway decent? Buy a designer template to save you from yourself. I think mine was less than $200 and was exactly what I needed to glow up my site on a budget!

Aaaaand done.

I hope this roundup helps you find some new favorite tools — I’ll keep adding to it with only the best tried & tested resources I actually use in my biz.