My Top-10 Tech Tools for Online Entrepreneurs

by | Blog

These days, technology has really made it simple for entrepreneurs to get online and do their “thang” with a variety of tech tools, many of which are free or very low cost.  Here is a list of my personal recommendations, to help you get started.

  1. LastPass Password Protection

Before you do anything, please get a password protection software such as LastPass.  This will allow you to create individual, strong passwords for each of the sites and tech tools that you use regularly.  LastPass is also available as a google chrome plugin, so once you are logged in, it will autofill any of the passwords you have instructed it to when you visit a site that you have registered.  Super convenient, and protects your important data.   Plus it allows you to share your password with others, for a limited amount of time in a secure fashion, without disclosing the password itself.    Don’t wait to do this – more time is wasted trying to remember and/or reset usernames and passwords, time that can be much better spent catering to your raving fans. And VERY IMPORTANT:  Don’t lose your master password.  Make it great, memorize it and never forget it!  🙂  Bonus – LastPass is also available as an app on your smartphone.

  1. A Digital Calendar

Google calendar and iCal are amazing and versatile tools, that can be used for much more than just appointments:

  • Categorize your appointment types by color, creating timeslots for your business appointments, plus working time, exercise, family time – you name it;
  • Add tasks to keep track of your “to do” list that keeps tasks following you automatically day by day until you check them off as done;
  • Add a reminder, or several, to keep you on track;
  • Keep track of your budget by indicating due dates  as tasks so you don’t forget to pay a bill;
  • Customize your calendar with colors, backgrounds, or even the weather, to name a few.

Your calendar can be your best friend when it comes to productivity.  When you are starting out or in a period of growth, every shiny object is out there sparkling away for your attention, and staying on track with the things you need to do to grow your business can be difficult, if not downright impossible at times.  Do yourself a favor and set up good habits from the beginning, and schedule your work and play time. You can always modify things as you go along!

  1. Website / Hosting Service

First, you will need a domain name (your website URL), and a hosting service – somewhere where your website is stored and allows it to be seen on the internet.  Depending on your chosen provider, hosting can be a monthly or a yearly fee.  BlueHost, my chosen hosting service, usually starting at $7.99 per month, had a special on for $2.95 per month, including the domain – paid in advance for 1 year (at time of posting).

This part can be confusing, and more often than not, something you don’t really want to be dealing with.  BlueHost has a great support team, and are ready and available when you need help.

I strongly recommend that while you are setting up your hosting service and domain, that you do two important things:  1) That you make note of all of the URL addresses of the different accounts, and usernames and passwords you have assigned.  This is something that you will need to access from time to time, usually when there is something urgent to do like update information, and these passwords are often forgotten.  And 2) that you set up a backup service to ensure that your site gets backed up automatically at least once a week.  Safety first as I say – you don’t want to lose all your hard work!  There are many plugins available for this purpose.

  1. WordPress

When it comes to website creation, there are plenty of options out there.  However, for the newbies, especially those that are tech challenged, WordPress is one of the easiest ways to create a beautiful website in a short time.  WordPress is hands down the most popular option for creating your website content and will grow with your business and best of all, it’s free!

Next, you will need a theme.  Wordpress comes with a few themes for free which will definitely do the job.  But Divi is my most favorite and features a visual builder that makes it so easy to create a beautiful website.  Divi is available at a yearly option, which is $89, or $249 for unlimited use (at time of posting). Well worth the cost, and can be applied to all of your sites, as well as those of your clients, if you are a website developer.

  1. Active Campaign

There is no doubt about it – I love Active Campaign.  Active Campaign grows with your business and eliminates the need for funnel software and a migration so many other platforms require when your needs outgrow their functionality.  The cost is only $9 per month for a list of 500 or less, $17 for 1000 (at time of posting).  Building funnels, automations, templates and integrating with a huge variety of other tech tools make this indispensable in nurturing and growing your list.

  1. Leadpages

Create beautiful landing pages that convert with LeadPages – an easy to use tool with a drag and drop functionality that makes it easy to set up lead capturing pages for your website, or sales campaign.

Leadpages also offers split testing with analytics, so you can zero in on the content that is converting best.  Simply put, Leadpages is the leader in landing pages IMO!

  1. Calendly

If you are a service based industry you will want a way to set up appointments with your clients, and Calendly is my favorite.  It is a free service that you can set up to link to your google calendar, ending double booking, and back and forth emails trying to set up a mutually convenient time.  There is also a paid version that allows you to set up multiple appointment types, starting at $10 per month (at time of posting).

  1. Buffer

Posting your content on social media is important so you can continue to reach more people and grow your list. Buffer is only $10 a month for the Awesome Package (at time of posting this article), and integrates with all your favorite social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and  Google+.  Buffer also works with Pinterest, making it a one-stop shop for sharing your content.  The awesome package allows you to schedule posts to up to 10 profiles, and up to 100 posts in the queue.  There are a variety of small business packages as well.

  1. Canva

Canva is a little marvel that makes creating graphics a piece of cake.  There are pre-sized templates for any type of use you could imagine. Canva for business allows you to store your logo and branding colors and fonts for quick access.  There is a free trial, and then $12.95 per month (at time of posting).  You can invite team members as well, so all your branding stays consistent.

  1. Support

If this list leaves you sweating out the “how do I learn all of this?” heebie-jeebies, fear not.  There are qualified people out there that can help.  There is no doubt that bootstrapping it and learning the basics is a good idea if you do not yet have the resources to have a team member.  But there will inevitably come a time when “doing all the things” will no longer serve you, and you will need to find a team member or members to free up your time for the things only you can do.  An Online Business Manager, or OBM, can be your best friend when it comes to readying yourself for a team.

I will end this by saying, there are many, many tech tools out there that can do what you need them to do, and more.  This list is by no means a one-size-fits-all recipe – each business will have its own unique needs.  If you need help choosing the best ones for you, click here to schedule a complimentary discovery call and I will be more than pleased to help out!

Full disclaimer:  Occasionally I use affiliate links. If you purchase through my affiliate link, I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you.