5 Top Tools To Grow Your Online Business

5 Top Tools To Grow Your Online Business

5 Top Tools To Grow Your Online Business

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Michele Duwe from Miss Task Top Tools To Grow Your Business

Is this you? You’re dabbling in starting your small business from home, and the whole process feels confusing and overwhelming. There are so many decisions to make, and what if you make the wrong decision? The list goes on and goes on. Do you blog, start a podcast, or create a YouTube Channel? Do you need an email list, and how does that even work? How do people post all that social media content? You have zero clue about what you're doing or the online tools to help you grow your small business from home. Hallelujah, you finally decide what tech to use only to get suede to a shiny new app after watching a YouTube video. Spending hours of your time comparing all the different tools for months and trying new thing after new thing, only to find yourself full circle and return to what you originally started. Instead of growing your business, you’re stuck, never really moving forward in your business. You’re lacking the confidence to make a decision and go with it. Does this sound like you? I get it, fear of making the wrong decision regarding the best business tools for growing your online business. Here’s the big secret, I just decided and picked one. Here is a list of online tech tools I use daily to run a small business.

Tech Tools

Do you need to know which tools will help you grow your business? We've compiled a list of the most popular tools that we use in our business.

Top Tool Number One: WordPress

Top Tool Number Two: Clickup

When I started my small business in 2016, I decided to be in it for the long haul. Therefore, I focused my marketing energy on long-game strategies.

WordPress is the popular choice for bloggers, making it the best tool for growing an online small business focused on long-game marketing.

Since I made this one decision, my marketing strategy guided my decision on what tech tools to implement in my business.

WordPress for my website was the first online tool I invested in to grow a small business from home.

Clickup for Project & Task Management

I quickly discovered that I had to find a way to manage all the projects and tasks to grow a small business from home.

I did not start with Clickup as my project management software. Actually, it wasn’t my second either. It was the third. I spend so much time and energy trying to get the perfect project management software.

I can honestly say that the fear of missing out was a massive factor in hopping from one app to the other. As a service provider, I was constantly getting swayed to try the shiny project management software my peers were raving about on social media. I finally had to draw a line in the sand, make a decision, and commit to the decision.

It boils down to this; I had to commit to my decision if I wanted my business to succeed.

Why does this matter to me? It is because the success of my business allows me to be at home and put my family first and foremost.

I had to stop wasting valuable time and energy comparing project management software. Do I miss flying unicorns? Yes, unicorn makes me happy. The bottom line, as a business owner, I need to trust my decision-making.

Check the box and move on.

Here is the link for my Clickup Referral Code: https://clickup.com?fp_ref=0r07t

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Quickbooks

Quickbooks is what I use for my accounting. 

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Tailwind

Tailwind is the software I use for Pinterest and Instagram scheduling. 

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Google Workspace

Google Workspace is for all my team documents.

Top Tool Number Three: FloDesk

What else do you need for tech tools in long-game marketing and to grow a small business from home? An email list. An email service provider like FloDesk allows you to create and send beautiful emails to your list. Since FloDesk did not pop on to the email service provider scene until 2018, I began with MailChimp.

MailChimp is a great free email service provider to start email marketing. If I had to do it over again, I would have invested in an email service provider right away. Why is that? It sucks to move all your free opts, workflows, and email lists.

With all the regulations around email marketing, it is essential to have an excellent email provider to follow all the rules.

Ready to upgrade your email newsletters? Take 50% off Flodesk using my referral code!
Here is the link: https://flodesk.com/c/Y1C389

Michele Duwe from Miss Task Top Tools To Grow Your Business
Bonus Tool!

Apps I Use Every Day in my small business:

Honeybook is an app I use for all my client paperwork. Inquiry forms to send the monthly recurring invoices. This software keeps me organized and streamlined.

– Take 50% off the first year of Honeybooks using my referral code! Honeybook http://share.honeybook.com/misstask

Top Tool Number Four: Grammarly

Despite what you think, selecting blogging as my core content marketing strategy was not because I loved writing or was brilliant at writing. Nope, not at all. Hence Grammarly was a tech tool I quickly invested in to grow a small business from home.

Grammarly is a top online tool to run your small business if you do not love writing and struggle with it.

Top Tool Number Five: Canva

Graphics, images, design, yadda, yadda, yadda. In any case, all the design creation can be very time-consuming and frustrating. Canva makes this so simple.

While you can use this online tool for free, I encourage you to budget yearly for the pro subscription to grow a small business from home.

Let me elaborate; I resisted investing in the paid version of Canva because, in my mind, it was too expensive. Guess what happened? Instead of money, I invested time. Let’s see what I could have been doing with my time instead of recreating images manually. Hmm, what else could I have done with my time? You guessed it, getting paid from clients!

Oh, this is a trap that I fell into and often find many new online entrepreneurs, heck, even six-figure business owners, falling into as well. They put more value on money than their time! Stay with me now; please do not make this same mistake I did! I did not step back to look at the big picture; I only saw dollars go out of my business. What I didn’t get was if I said no to investing in online tools that would make the job easier and quicker, I was saying yes to working longer and harder.

Here’s what I mean: if I had invested the hundred dollars in Canva immediately, it would have opened up my time to bring on another client.

What is necessary?

Friend, many options exist when deciding what apps to use in your business. Wherever you turn, you’re reading about this shiny and sometimes high-priced tech that YOU MUST have to grow your business. What is the right tech to grow a small business from home?

Now, this may not be the popular opinion; there is no right or wrong. You have to figure it out for yourself. Believe whatever you decide to implement is the best tool to grow your business. Once I figured out that the most essential tool of all in my business was simpling, trusting my gut if it was the right app for me or not.
Here is a list of online tech tools I use daily to run a small business.

I am recapping the list of tools I use daily for running an online business. Use this information and trust yourself to make the best decision for your business.

WordPress
Clickup
FloDesk
Grammarly
Canva

Know Your Numbers

A key to business success is understanding your profit. 

Download this Google Worksheet to start tracking your income and expenses!

Know when you are profitable in your business. 

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5 Best Podcasts for Female Entrepreneurs

5 Best Podcasts for Female Entrepreneurs

If you're a woman entrepreneur looking for motivation and inspiring stories, check out these five podcasts! Each of these shows shares engaging stories and tips to help female entrepreneurs create success in their lives and businesses.

Podcast One for Female Entrepreneurs

This is the podcast that started it all; it sparked my deep desire to become a female entrepreneur. Not only did Chalene spark my interest in starting my online business, but this lady is also the reason I have a love for fitness and overall health and wellness.

This is a twofer.

Build Your Tribe with Chalene and Brock Johnson

When I started listening to this podcast in 2014, Brock was a kid, and Chalene did the show all on her own. This podcast is all about running a business and marketing.

Build Your Tribe

The Chalene Show

I’m not sure which one I first started listening to The Chalene Show or Build Your Tribe. I love them both for different reasons. The Chalene Show is focused on diet, fitness, and life balance.

The Chalene Show

You can say I’m a lifer.

Podcast Two for Women Entrepreneurs

Back when my time could afford coffee chats with other female entrepreneurs, Robyn Graham was a bright spot in my day. If you know me at all, you know that I preach about mindset! Robyn is a business and mindset coach. She can also tell you a thing or two about marketing and brand strategy. Robyn mixes up her show with solo and guest episodes.

The Robyn Graham Show (formerly The Second Phase Podcast)

Robyn’s podcast is for women entrepreneurs who want to build a strong foundation for a personal brand, business, and life success.

The Robyn Graham Show

Podcast Three for Female Entrepreneurs

Have you heard of Marco Polo? This app lets you send video chats with your friends, family, and clients. For a short time, they had Marco Polo Channels for business owners as an alternative to Facebook Groups; this was when I found Michelle Gifford. She is a Mom to five and gets running a business and running a family.

Michelle Gifford Show

What you will get from this podcast as a female entrepreneur is down-to-earth ideas on building a lasting business. It is full of marketing golden nuggets!

Michelle Gifford Show

Podcast Four for Female Entrepreneurs

I’m not exactly sure how I came across this next podcast, and I’m sure happy I did. Taylor Bradford had me at her tagline of an unconventional unicorn. We all want to be unconventional unicorns, right?

Boss Girl Creative

Taylor is after my productivity heart. I’m unsure if there is a market with which Taylor hasn’t had experience. She is straightforward and to the point, which I love, by the way. She gives useful tips on how to start and run a successful business.

Boss Girl Creative

Podcast Five for Female Entrepreneurs

Okay, so this one isn’t really a business podcast, and its language is a little colorful; if you’re not into that type, you will want to stay clear. This podcast I found from Amy Porterfield's Marketing Made Easy.

Losing 100 Pounds with Corinne

Oh my goodness, do not let the name of this podcast fool you. This show, even though it is about weight loss, it is really about mindset. You know that Corinne is passionate about helping people when you listen to this podcast. You know her only intention is to help women succeed, whether with weight loss or in life.

Losing 100 Pounds with Corinne

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Little Side Note

Do you have a podcast that never you miss an episode? 

Tell us all about it in the comments below. 

Here are my five best women entrepreneur podcasts:

  • Build Your Tribe and The Chalene Show
  • The Robyn Graham Show
  • Michelle Gifford Show
  • Boss Girl Creative
  • Losing 100 Pounds with Corinne
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7 Ways To Change Your Beliefs About Yourself And Your Life

7 Ways To Change Your Beliefs About Yourself And Your Life

Are you having trouble reaching your goals? Do you feel stuck? It could be that you're holding yourself back by believing things that aren't true. Many want our lives to change, but we don’t know how to do anything about it. If you’re like so many, you assume that once your life changes, you'll change. You think once I feel happier and more confident, then my life will change. What if the opposite is true? What if you change your belief in yourself to change your life?

How you think it can change your life.

You might believe that once things change, this will change your life. How you change your thinking and belief in yourself is how you change your life.

It may seem crazy to say that by acting the way you want to, you’ll end up feeling that way, and then your life will change too! If you’re not a believer in the law of attraction, this is perhaps a complex concept to grasp.

How it Works

Do you want to be more successful? The first simple step is changing your belief and acting like you’re already successful.

If you’re not sure how to do this? Can you remember a time when you felt successful? Can you remember a specific time? Step into your body, see what you saw, hear what you heard, and feel the feelings of being successful!

How are you acting? Are you standing taller? Do you feel confident? How did people treat you when you were successful? Is it easier to believe in yourself and your success when you reflect on a time when you were successful.

When you’re struggling to believe in yourself, step back into the past and remember a time when you believed in yourself. That will help you change your beliefs, which will change your life.

One way to change your beliefs to change your life is to simply remember when you were successful in the past. Use those thoughts and feelings; once you do, people will start treating you as more successful, leading to more opportunities.

Start with the End in Mind

Another way to change your life is to think about where you want to be and what you want to accomplish.

Go ahead and think about what you want to accomplish; how will you know that you’ve achieved this goal?

Do you feel differently? How do you think differently?

Do you look different? What looks different about you?

Are you acting differently? How are you acting?

What do you need to do to create this outcome? Another way to change your beliefs and change your life is to start with the end in mind and work backward until you have a plan to accomplish your goal.

Focus on the Positive

It’s easy to focus on the negative aspects of life. People often say things like ”I am too old to do this” or “I am not good enough.” Negative statements like these are very common when you talk about your own life. However, focusing on the positive is much more effective.

Besides, do you like to hang out with a Debbie Downer? I think not.

If you struggle to believe in yourself, think of all the positive aspects of yourself. Not able to come up with any, not one? Really. Ask your friends and family what they love about you. I’m confident that they will be able to give you at least one positive thing that they love about you.

A third way to change your belief in yourself is to focus on your life's beautiful positive aspects.

Be Realistic

If you believe you cannot succeed at something, you will never try. If you do, it will be with little effort because you are scared to fail.

Stop getting caught up in what could go wrong. Instead, focus on what could go right, what you can do today to change your life. Start small by making one simple small goal. Then make another small goal. Keep going until you reach your ultimate goal.

Think of it this way; if you plan a trip to drive across the country, you will not get it done in one day. You will need to make a plan to get there and while you’re at it, plan for a few detours. Those detours will show you things you didn’t even know where around.

It is the same for your life; focus on one small change you can make today. Figure out what comes up for you; just like unexpected detours on your road trip, they are there to show you what you didn’t know existed in your beliefs. Remember when detours happen, redirect you in the right direction.

A fourth way to change your life is to focus on what could go right.

7 Ways To Change Your Beliefs About Yourself And Your Life

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others.

There are two ways to think about yourself. One way is to compare yourself to others. This is called “comparison thinking.” It leads to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem. Another way to think about yourself is to focus on what you can accomplish today. This is called ‘achievement thinking.’ It leads to feelings of confidence and optimism.

The fifth way to change your beliefs to change your life is with achievement thinking, what can you accomplish today to move your life forward.

Discover Why You Beleive What You Believe

If you want to change your beliefs about yourself, you must first understand where those beliefs come from. What do you believe about yourself? How did you learn these beliefs? Why do you hold them? What you think about yourself may be challenging to untangle.

When you have thoughts like “I am too old.” or “I am not smart enough.” begin to question that thought. Say to yourself, that’s interesting. Where did that belief come from?

Thank yourself for keeping you safe in the past with that belief, and you’re ready to release it now. Then shake it off like an Etch-A-Sketch.

Once you answer these questions, you can begin to change your beliefs.

The sixth way to change your beliefs to change your life is to figure out your old belief patterns and give yourself permission to release them.

Say You Can

Want to be more successful? Start acting like you're already successful. Want to do better at work? Believe you can. Want to be smarter? Act smarter.

This is closely related to what are known as ‘self-fulfilling prophecies'. These are situations where you actually change your behavior in line with your beliefs.

A great example is what's known as a ‘scotoma' or a ‘blind spot'.

Have you ever lost your phone or maybe your car keys and searched for it for hours only to have a friend come up and find it in seconds? That's a scotoma in action; you have convinced yourself that the item is lost and this belief literally prevents you from finding that item.

The same can happen in your life. If you tell yourself you're a failure, then your unconscious mind will sabotage your success in those areas. To be as successful as you can be in any capacity, you need to eliminate doubt.

For example, if you believe you are no good at running a business, you might find yourself hiding and not putting yourself out there for prospective customers to find you.

As a result, you will get frustrated. You’ll wonder why others have success after only a short time of running a business while you’re still struggling to make ends meet.

If you don’t believe in yourself and your abilities, how can you expect others to believe in you?

To break the cycle, say you can start by acting as if you believe in yourself. That means dressing better, taking risks, and being more assertive. You’ll find you attract more positive attention and that this can lead to better results and even improve the way you think about yourself.

A final way to change your beliefs and life, of course, the best solution is the obvious solution that is easily overlooked, say you can and believe in yourself.

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Little Side Note

Book Recommendation: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahnerman

Book Recommendation: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Bonus: If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can read this book for FREE! Here’s the Amazon link. 

Recap the 7 Ways To Change Your Beliefs About Yourself and Your Success

  1. Remember when you were successful in the past use those thoughts and feelings to tap into your future self.
  2. Start with the end in mind and work backward until you know all the steps. Create a plan with those steps to accomplish your goal.
  3. Concentrate on the positive aspects of your life.
  4. Focus on what could go right.
  5. Embrace achievement thinking
  6. Give yourself permission to release your old belief patterns.
  7. Say you can and believe in yourself.

How To Clear Your Mind With Meditation

In today's world, we're consumed by technology, pressured by financial stress, meeting deadlines, and much more.

It's no wonder more and more people are stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious.

At the end of the day, we all want to be happy.

But how do you take the steps to a life filled with happiness and contentment?

A powerful way is by practicing meditation.

It is time to "clear the mind" in my latest digital download - How To Clear The Mind With Meditation

Access This Digital Download Today! 

Clear Your Mind

Clear Your Mind Free Digital Download