If you’re a small business owner, life tends to be pretty full-on. I’m always looking for ways to work smarter and better and am keen to find the right tech or app to help. After a very slow start, I’m finally loving using Trello to help me keep track of pretty much everything in my business. By the end of the year, I’ll have 12 months of content that I can update and reuse. That’s a game-changer and will save me so much time next year.

I asked some small business owners from The Best 90 Days Ever what bit of kit they couldn’t run their business without and here’s what they had to say:

Google Sheets

I couldn’t do without Google Sheets in my business. I keep records of all the seeds I sow and when I’ve shown them then I also track what I’m cutting when and how much so I can plan better for next season. Being able to have it on my phone and computer so I can add data in the field and my office is a game changer!

Blue Hill Flora

Airtable

We couldn’t do without Airtable! It’s similar to Trello but with the power of organising data. We also use HubSpot to track conversations and deals. The necessary evil of accounting calls for Xero.

Kisha Bradley

Apple Notes

My number 1 would be Trello too, but also just Apple notes! My phone and laptop notes have stopped syncing and it’s made me realise how much I use it. Every day I’m putting down thoughts and ideas for content and to-do lists!

‌Hannah, HI Communications

Calendly and Google Calendar

Trello for storing social media content and ideas, Calendly for new clients to book GIF Discovery Calls, Google Calendar to keep track of my life and meetings and Canva to design social media posts, presentations, and flyers.

Mwydro

‌Notion

Notion Notion Notion! I couldn’t run my business, now, without it. Over the years I have tried Trello, Asana, Basecamp, Sharepoint but Notion really works for how my brain works. So it’s perfect for setting my business up for success (and life – I also use it for personal things too!)

I use it to set and manage my annual goals, which are automatically broken down into quarterly goals and all the way down to daily tasks that appear on my weekly planner. It means I know I am working towards my big goals, even when I’m not thinking *specifically* about them. I also use it for on-biz work, managing projects, content, calendar, blog writing, habit tracking and more.

Yes, I might be in love.

Yvie Ormsby, Yoco Studio

Fellow Notion lover too. It took me a little while to commit to it, but once I got Grace Beverly’s productivity planner (which took the legwork out of the set-up) I use it every day! I feel like I’m still scratching the surface of its capabilities though so would love to know more about how other people use it as a tool!

Elena Chow, Words By Elena

‌Otter and Google

Otter to capture, transcribe, and summarise voice notes (I think best when I’m walking, or matching socks)

• Google Sheets (you can do so much with them!!) and Google Drive (data, data, data!)
• Google Workspace for everything to do with my business! I LOVE it!
• Google Calendar & Google Meet for meetings
• Google Chat to speak to some of my clients
• Google Drive for storage
• Google Sheets for all my invoices & social media planning with clients
• Google Docs for blog writing and taking notes.
• Canva for social posts, PDFs, presentations, and social media graphics and Procreate for graphic design…although I am thinking of moving over to Adobe Express (inspired by Liz Mosley)
• Slack and Circle for professional communities I’m part of Sophie Sparks Bell
• Trello for content ideas for my own business
• Asana for my To Do list (just started using this)

I also use Outlook, Office, and Teams for other clients who only use those platforms.

Eve, sturdysocialsanddesign on Instagram

‌Calendly

I use Calendly for booking appointments, clients can choose a time that suits them and then automation sends out reminders and follow-ups afterward. It’s really great.

@codicwmwl_hypnotherapy on Instagram

What pieces of kit do you rely on for your business? Leave a comment and share what works for you.

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