Picture this: you are a new freelancer finally joining the world of solopreneurs. As a natural problem-solver, you’re eager to take on new challenges your clients face while also providing a professional service that most would expect from a larger business. However, the least expected challenges are the ones that arise before you land your first client.
As a team of one, I quickly learned that you are not only the problem-solver but the marketer, budgeter, customer service representative, and so much more. To be successful, your business tools need to work for you so that you can focus on the work that you love.
In this article, I’ll discuss some of those tools that I believe every freelancer should know about.
Top 3 Tools for Client and Customer Management
1. Honeybook
So you have a potential client and they’re ready to move forward with your service, however, you need contracts, a payment gateway, and maybe even a space to share those things with your client. This is where Honeybook shines.
With contract templates, getting your client onboarded and setting expectations is a breeze. I especially love the smart fields that automatically populate parts of the contract with your client’s information.
Honeybook’s payment options make it easy for you to process payment, whether its project-based, hourly, or even subscription-based. You can set up automatic reminders and send invoices directly from your account.
The digital brochures option is especially useful if you offer more than one service and need a description or scope of work for each. These can be easily sent to prospective clients so they can review before moving forward.
Also, having a client portal is such an added touch of professionalism. Customers love to feel prioritized, and giving them their own space to share files, communicate, and review documents is a great way to keep everyone on track.
2. HiHello
I personally never want to run out of business cards. I did once when speaking to a potential client, and it was pretty embarrassing and not a great way to make a first impression. That’s why I love HiHello’s easy-to-use branding platform. It’s so easy to create your first digital business card. The idea of whipping out your phone for someone to view and save your digital business card instead of rummaging through a bag to find a crumpled paper one is game-changing. Not to mention the wow factor that comes with it when your viewer sees your card for the first time!
With a free account, users can:
A. Design 4 digital business cards
B. Customize a virtual background that can be easily used in any major video meeting platform
C. Inject branded email signatures
D. Scan paper business cards that can be added to your digital address book
And when you upgrade to professional, you have even more networking superpowers such as unlimited card creations, customizations, and even analytics!
3. Calendly
The one thing I dreaded as a freelancer was going back and forth on when/where/how to meet. Calendly makes it super easy to
A. Set your availability for meetings
B. Set how you’re going to meet (zoom, phone, etc)
C. And even send messages and reminders ahead of time to your attendees
The best part? Calendly offers several ways to embed your meeting links on your website and more!
The top 3 tools for design
Admittedly as a designer, I focus first on how my business is represented and its overall brand. While there are many powerful tools to do the work, I found that these tools can quickly give me the results I’m looking for.
1. Canva
Canva’s platform is not only easy to use but it’s a great place to quickly produce social graphics, design a presentation, edit documents, and even edit videos.
Additionally, they have thousands of templates to choose from, so you never have to stare at a blank page again.
The best part? It’s free to get started. Its visual suite can run from your browser so there’s no need for a high-performance machine to get the job done in addition to AI tools, Canva ensures that it is a “Visual Suite for Everyone.”
2. Adobe Express
Similar to Canva, Adobe Express is an all-in-one platform that empowers its users to quickly generate graphics, photos, documents, and more while integrating seamlessly with the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.
This means that all my media and fonts from my other projects in the Creative Suite can be used interchangeably with Express.
Having an existing paid Adobe account is not necessary. Just create a free account to get started.
3. Webflow
Having a place where your services and brand can live 24/7 is probably one of the most important things to consider when starting out. There are three things that come to mind when I consider a website builder: speed, security, and simplicity. For me, Webflow checks all the boxes with its fast AWS-powered hosting and visual web builder
Unlike WordPress, there’s no need for plugin maintenance or security updates so constantly worrying about compatibility and troubleshooting is no longer an issue.
The top 3 tools for Marketing
1. ChatGPT
ChatGPT, or as I have lovingly nicknamed “Chad”, may not have all the answers, but it has helped me get to them. I have personally used “Chad” to strategize content ideas, list keywords for a topic that fits my target niche, generate a posting strategy for social media, and so much more. In addition to that, I have used ChatGPT to explain concepts that I’m unfamiliar with in a way that relates to my problem.
2. Buffer
As a small business owner, I feel like we’re already juggling enough as it is - keeping up with our social accounts should not be one of them. Buffer’s platform is a social powerhouse- managing all your communication with your audience on all your social media accounts in one place. This includes monitoring comments/messages, creating analytic reports, publishing your content, and even creating landing pages that are optimized for conversion.
This tool is great even if you’re just starting out because its free version is enough to start growing your audience. In terms of staying connected with your customers, this is a win-win for yourself and your team.
3. Semrush
Do you want to dive into keyword research? What about taking a peak to see what your competitors are doing? Semrush offers this and so much more. In addition to their SEO tools, their resources, such as their blogs and help center articles, provide invaluable information when it comes to online marketing. If you’re too overwhelmed to dive in, check out their online academy, where you can search through courses and even specific topics that you want to learn.
Top 2 Tools for Project Management
1. Asana
It’s easy to lose track of where your progress when it comes to juggling multiple projects at once. Asana’s platform makes it easy to create projects, apply due dates, and even assign tasks to others.
You can even view you ongoing tasks in different ways such as list view, table (similar to Trello), or my personal favorite: calendar.
2. Slack
Communication is key when working with other vendors, clients, and business partners. Slack's interface is not only welcoming but its UI it’s similar to those familiar with a popular gaming chat platform called Discord. With Slack, you can easily:
A. Create channels for specific types of communication, whether that is marketing goals or informal water cooler chats
B. Integrate other tools such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, Zoom, and so much more.
Slack is free to get started, and it’s great if you’re starting with a small team. Internally here at HiHello, we use Slack as our primary mode of communication. As HiHello's CEO Dr. Manu Kumar describes it, Slack is "excellent for immediacy and getting quick responses."
The HiHello team uses Slack, and it’s excellent for immediacy and getting quick responses. It absolutely can make work more enjoyable and efficient. Slack makes it easy for people to quickly send a message and get it off their stack or to-do list.
Starting a business is challenging, but finding the right business tools to help you succeed doesn’t have to be!
