Having a tech stack that works for your business is worth its weight in gold. Fortunately, we gThere are a number of tools I’ve been using for years that have made running the business so much easier.

Here are my top picks:

• ASANA. There’s a number of project management tools out there but I’ve always been a bit of an Asana fan. Their system is super simple to use, you can allocate tasks to different members of your team, load in attachments, use deadlines and more. It takes the overwhelm out of your inbox and allows you to be intentional with how you plan your workload and days.

• GOOGLE DRIVE. There’s also stacks of different file storage options available however I have never turned back from Google Drive. I’ve always found Dropbox really clunky to use and I love that I can work so seamlessly between Google Docs (Word), Google Sheets (Excel) & Google Drive for client work. This allows me flexibility to move files around seamlessly at any time from any device. Plus, the perks of Google Docs & Google Sheets are live documents and you can work on files at the same time as someone else. Edgy!

• OFFICE 365. I use the web version of Office365 and I’ve always found it to be amazing. It stops you having to have a separate application open for Outlook and they have an awesome app for your phone including the inbuilt calendar. This has allowed me to separate my work calendar (via Outlook) from my personal calendar (via Gmail) so I have that separation from family life versus work life.

• PLANOLY. This was a close call between Plann and Planoly as I’ve always loved both but Planoly has been a god send lately for scheduling stories and utilising any story content for Pinterest posts at the same time. You can use the auto-post feature via both of these apps – so posting can be a breeze and happen on auto-pilot. 

• DATABOX. This is my favourite reporting software that uses live integrations across various touch points including Shopify, WooCommerce, Klaviyo, Google Analytics, Facebook Business Manager, Instagram and so much more to provide you with live dashboards at any time. You can even set up automatic reports to send you updates on a recurring basis so you are always on the ball! 

When thinking about bringing another tool into your business, you should ask yourself a few questions including:

1. What will it cost me to do the task myself versus allowing the tool to do it for me or my team? For example – will it cost you 10 hours of labour to do manual reporting versus $100 per month to have the reporting done automatically.
2. Will I need this new tool to integrate with any other systems? For example – if you have a helpdesk in mind but it doesn’t integrate with WooCommerce then you have an issue.
3. Will this tool help me to drive the business forward? For example – if having a project management tool boosts productivity then it is worth the investment.