Inside the Studio: The Tools I Use to Keep My Business Running
01. Basecamp
As a longtime Asana user, I recently switched to Basecamp to streamline my process with clients and to manage my personal life (car maintenance, pets, doctor appointments, etc). I was paying for Asana, which I felt was a little overpriced for my needs since I’m the only person on my team using it. Their features are similar, but Basecamp is cheaper, and I like the interface more!
Basecamp keeps everything in one place, which helps me keep my focus intact so I’m not switching around from one place to the next. It’s intuitive and easy to use, enabling me to collaborate with clients on their projects, keep all conversations, files, and tasks in one place, and manage my own personal daily tasks easily. I hate long email chains, so I love the instant messaging feature!
02. Freshbooks
For all my invoicing, business expense tracking, and accounting needs, I use Freshbooks. It’s been around for a long time and geared towards small, service-based businesses - so they make it super simple to use. I like the quick snapshots of your revenue and expenses so you can see how you’re doing month-to-month. Like most things, there is a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it’s very easy to navigate. I actually enjoy managing my expenses through it!
When tax season rolls around, I hand over all the documents to my accountant—easy-peasy!
03. Loom
I use Loom to present branding concepts, websites, and anything else that requires verbal explanation for clients—or anyone I’m collaborating with on a project. You simply record your screen, upload it to Loom, and then you can edit it - speed it up take out any filler words; they even have a transcript tool that summarizes, along with providing timestamps. I love presenting things this way because it allows the client to sit with the concept and formulate their thoughts without the pressure of giving feedback immediately.
For years, I used Quicktime to record my screen, and then I’d have to upload the file to Google Drive, THEN share with the client. I was getting annoyed with this process and wanted to streamline it more, so I’ve been trying different screen recording apps. So far, Loom has been my favorite —- and it’s the cheapest!
04. WeTransfer
This is how I send those hefty files to clients at the end of every project! As with most things in my past, I was uploading it all to Drive — which would take forever! WeTransfer makes it super simple to pass off the goods without the hassle of uploading anything.
05. Grammarly
Grammarly, thank you for making me sound more intelligent and removing the stress of writing emails! I love the AI that helps you reword to make you sound more confident and professional, take away any filler words, and, obviously, correct your grammar. This post was written with the help of Grammarly :)
06. Adobe
Love (and hate) her, she’s the most essential tool in my kit. From designing logos, editing photos, and layout design to their vast selection of fonts, she does it all. While I don’t like how they package their products and their pricing (why isn’t there a package JUST for Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop?? I don’t need Dreamweaver!! ALSO make it cheaper for freelancers!), I’ll most likely use Adobe till the day I retire.
*Also, ALWAYS try to get that discount. Whenever they increase the price, I go to cancel my subscription. Usually, they’ll provide the option of $30/month, so you’ll stay with them.
07. Honorable mentions
Squarespace — where I host my website and design a lot of client sites
Gmail / G Suite — self-explanatory for emails and storage
Note App — I like to keep a note for every client to jot down important info I refer back to — like copying their questionnaire, or any feedback
Procreate — iPad app for drawing
iCloud — for all my storage
Spotify — for keeping my spirits up
