The Tools I Use to Run My Business (and My Life)

November 11, 2020 Ashley Danyew

In today’s digital age, there are a number of software programs, hosting platforms, apps, and tools designed to help you do your best work.

Some are designed to simplify things or take the guesswork out of decision-making. Others are designed to save you time and help you focus more on creating than organizing or getting set up.

Some help you keep track of to-do lists so nothing falls through the cracks. Others keep your documents safe and easily accessible when you’re on the go.

Basically, as the old slogan says, if you’re looking for something to help you _____, there’s an app for that.

I'm always curious about what tools and resources others use to organize and run their creative businesses (and life in general), so today, I thought I’d give you a peek behind-the-scenes into my own life and business and the tools I use on a daily and weekly basis.

From email management to web hosting, graphic design to music notation, digital file storage to online course hosting, the tools and apps you see listed below are ones I’ve personally used (and many that I still use!), love, and recommend.

My Favorite Tools for Creative Small Businesses

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

Organization & Data Storage

EVERNOTE

An app for note-taking, planning, organizing, and archiving. I use Evernote to write/archive all my blog posts, outline and write new courses, plan for my studio year, track what books I’m reading, jot down gift ideas for my nieces and nephews, and keep track of personal and professional goals.

TICKTICK

If you love to-do lists but don’t always love keeping up with loose papers on your desk or notes in various places (the fridge, the bottom of your bag, the Notes App on your phone), you’ll love this simple (free!) solution.

TickTick is a simple, no-frills task management tool I've used to organize my to-do lists and recurring tasks. Set reminders, see your tasks in list or calendar view, share and collaborate with others, and keep up with your tasks on any device.

MILANOTE

This is my new favorite! Milanote (pronounced MEE-la-note) is a web-based tool for organizing creative projects into beautiful visual boards. I use Milanote to organize creative projects, pull together inspiration and resources, map out curricula, and plan editorial content.

You can create all sorts of layouts, from weekly schedules to storyboards, flowcharts to inspiration boards, and drag and drop different elements (columns, notes, to-do lists, images, links) into place.

DROPBOX

A digital file-storage system, great for sharing resources with my students!

Financial

BETTERMENT

Described as a “smart money manager,” this online investing tool covers everything from retirement savings to everyday checking/savings accounts. I love that my investment portfolio is automatically managed and diversified for maximum returns.

MINT

An online budgeting tool that pulls all of our accounts into one easy-to-view dashboard so we can keep track of how we’re spending, saving, and investing from month to month.

WAVE INVOICING

The free online invoicing tool I use to create, send, and manage my monthly studio invoices.

HURDLR

An easy-to-use, web-based bookkeeping software that automatically tracks your income, expenses, and mileage(!).

AMERICAN EXPRESS

My go-to business credit card. I use this for all my business expenses throughout the year. Amex has great customer service and they’re big supporters of small businesses. Plus, I love earning cashback with every purchase.

They also offer rewards throughout the year, like recently, when they offered $5 cashback whenever you supported a small business (purchase of $10 or more).

Marketing

FLODESK

The new email marketing and automation tool that’s built specifically for creative small businesses. This is the tool I use to send my email newsletters and deliver digital download content. I love the visual elements, unique layouts, embedded script fonts, and easy drag-and-drop functionality.

Plus, they offer unlimited subscribers and unlimited emails for one low monthly fee.

PLANOLY

A visual planning tool for scheduling and automating Instagram posts. I use Planoly to upload and organize photos in batches, write captions, and schedule content.

What I love about this tool is that I can schedule content to auto-post to Instagram. This means I don’t need to have the app on my phone all the time but I can still be consistent about sharing content a few times per week.

Tailwind

A curating and scheduling tool for Pinterest content. I use Tailwind to schedule all of my Pinterest content, share content from other creators, and create secondary graphics for some of my posts (using their new Tailwind Create software).

Get a free month! >>

Website

SQUARESPACE

The easy-to-use website builder and hosting platform that I use for my site. No coding required!

PODIA

A simple, well-designed, and easy-to-use platform for teaching online courses and workshops and delivering digital downloads. I use Podia to host all my online courses and free content, create sales pages, and create a digital storefront.

In addition to courses and digital downloads, they also offer the ability to host free or paid webinars, host memberships, and create an affiliate program.

Google Workspace / DRIVE

From email hosting/management to a place to store and organize course files, email list sign-ups, surveys, analytics, website copy, and worship-planning documents, it's safe to say that my business/life runs on Google.

This year, I’ve used Google Drive to share teaching tutorials and video lessons for my private students, create virtual games for studio classes and buddy lessons, and organize the various components of a keyboard theory curriculum I’m writing for my older students.

Graphic Design

ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

I use Illustrator to create all the graphics and images you see around this site: blog post graphics, icons, logos, header images, resource library graphics, and more. (Teachers and students save up to 60%!)

Pixabay

A collection of free stock photos (over 1.8 million!). Easy to sort by keyword, type of image (photo, vector graphic, illustration), and primary color (my favorite way to search!).

Step into the role of CEO and design a music career on your terms.

The Musicpreneur Model is the only online program + template suite designed specifically for self-employed classical musicians and music freelancers that teaches you how to build a diversified portfolio career in music (that supports you financially and artistically) + develop the skills you need to be a small business owner.

Music

SHEET MUSIC PLUS

My go-to for sheet music, anthems, instrumental music, and so much more. I love that they have so many digital downloads available—no shipping costs or waiting for music to arrive in the mail! Plus, they often have sales on choral anthems, piano method series, and urtext editions.

MUSESCORE

A free, robust music notation software, perfect for writing out last-minute hymn transpositions, handbell descants, flute obbligatos, and student compositions, just to name a few of the ways I've used it in recent years.

It’s not quite as complex as Finale or Sibelius, but still has tons of functionality and options for putting together a professional-looking score.

I’d love to hear from you:

Do you use any of these tools? I’d love to hear what you think. What are your favorite tools, for organization, business, or life in general? Please leave a comment below!

See this gallery in the original post

Ashley Danyew