Maybe you know by now if you listen to some of my podcasts or follow my blog or social media.
If not, it is my pastime, yes. I find a new tool; I sign up. I play with it and find out possibilities for me, my business and, as a result, for my clients and you.
So today, one tool I discovered while searching to optimise a workflow for a client.
Gmass: it is a service that allows you to send mass emails and email campaigns inside Gmail.
Tell you more in my latest podcast;
Part 3 of The tools of the trade for entrepreneurs
In this part 3, I will talk about the essential tools and skills you need to grow and scale your business.
And last Friday, I missed to posts my podcast, yes, life happens, and sometimes we just need to go with the flow. Even I have a plan when posting and publish content; I'm very realistic with life. So I couldn't post my content as usual last week, and that it's ok.
If you didn't listen to the previous series, here:
Part 1: The only three digital tools you need when starting a business >
Part 2: 8 essential digital tools to run your business with confidence >
Here is the list of tools and skills to grow and scale your business:
Would you like to have this part 3 series about The Tools of The Trade for Entrepreneurs in a PDF?
Leave a comment below, and I will send it over to you!
Many of these links are affiliate links, which means I may get a commission if you purchase. However, none of the fees of these resources has been increased to compensate me. In fact, many of the creators of these tools have given me special discounts that I get to extend to you!
In my last podcast, I talked about the 3 only tools you need when starting a business or test a business idea. You can check it out here >
Today I bring you the part 2 of 3 of Tools of Trade in digital tools to empower your business.
Get the space upgrade and start to use this fantastic tool to save, organise and keep all your files for your brand and clients. It's too easy to share files between people and a team, keep track of all the changes and updates, and you can access them via your mobile if you need to.
If you don't use it yet, start today. Create automation inside your email marketing tool; MailChimp, Mailerlite and many others offer automation for welcome email when someone subscriber, a follow up after a purchase, a client journey as series of email for the onboarding process and more.
If you already have Google Suite, use Google Calendar and sync all your work, family, and team calendars in one only. You can add many calendars to Google Calendar and subscribe to other's people and projects calendars.
Get on top of your task. I'm not talking about a to-do list, but more about the task you know you need to do for a project, or part of your business carry on.
Here you can use Google Tasks that it's nicely integrated with Google Calendar, and from Gsuite Email or Gmail, you can make a task from email.
Or, if you already have a team or a person helping you in your business, check out Trello or TeamWork (visual project managers) to help you keep track of your business.
Here you have few options.
If your business is growing and you want to do work even more, it's time to have a business phone line (a new sim card) or WhatsApp for business, which it's free. So you can customise automatic reply messages when you are not 'reachable' and be clear of your business hours.
In case you don't have it yet, it's time. Having a domain (that URL on the top of the browser, mine is 'lauramoreno.net') shows you are professional and have a good business. And get an email under that domain, as 'hola@yourdomainname.com'. Having a professional email will show more trust and credibility for your brand.
As an established business and have clients, it's time to have a 'decent' website. A website is your business card to the world; it's how you present yourself. Here you have two options only:
Next podcast, I will share a PDF with all the digital tools and link to each one.
Any tool you use and want to share in the comments? Tell me!
There are many digital tools to use.
Sometimes it is hard to choose which is 'right' and more, which one will work for you.
So my aim on helping you on making digital tools easy and make them digestive; I'm creating a list of my tools of the trade.
Actually, I'm creating three different lists because the tools I use maybe not be the tools you need. So depending on the stage of your business and what you should focus on.
In today episode, I will list the 'starting stage tools'. So if you are starting a business or you have a business idea, and you don't have much time and money to invest, or maybe you have time but no money to invest.
MailerLite or Mailchimp to capture email address for potential and offer a freebie in exchange for their email.
With this tool, you can even create a mini-website or landing page to collect email addresses.
Google forms or Typeform - to survey potential clients about the product or service you want to offer - testing before investing!
Canva: to do graphics for your social media account and create a nice freebie - PDF, infographics, recipes.
Listen to full episode below:
Let's make our lives easy with digital tools, how?
Group them!
I use Gmail (or Google Suite) to group all the emails I have access to and own, so in one email account, I can check and send from, without the need to check other apps or go to the browser to open that email account.
Under Gmail, go to the top left, cogs symbol, and click 'settings' > 'see all settings', there you will find a tab for 'Accounts' - there you can find where to add another email account to 'send email as' and 'check email from other accounts.
In one mail account, you can access all other emails and send them on behalf of that email account without login in somewhere else. This functionality is not only in Gmail; many other email apps and services provide the same functionality.
As similar to the email accounts, I use one Calendar app or browser tab to see all my other calendars; how? I subscribe to those via a link or via email access. That prevents me from opening a browser tab to check one specific calendar or an app on my mobile. And one view, I can see all the meetings and appointments that come up.
I use the app Fintonic to check my bank accounts, which are in a different bank, instead of opening each bank app or opening my bank account in the browser to check my balance and outgoing payments.
To simplify your life, group accounts, email, calendars, and bank accounts in one app or account and make the technology for less but better.
Leave me a comment if you want to group a few similar accounts and you don't know which app/service to use. Or, if you use this method, tell me below which accounts/services for! I would love to hear from you.
You can listen to the full episode here:
Almost every app on our laptop and sometimes on our mobile and other devices has shortcuts.
The first time I discover and start to use shortcuts was when I was learning Photoshop 3 (yes, years ago, I think about 20 years ago.. ), and it opens a world for me.
I could do repetitive and daily tasks faster, like open a new document, safe, close, take a tool from the toolset. I was using so many shortcuts that sometimes I don't use the mouse or trackpad at all, only the keyboard.
The shortcuts I use the most days are Gmail; compose an email, read and archive emails, make it snooze, make it as tasks, delete.
Also, I use shortcuts for almost everything on my laptop, looking for files, open programs, closing, clone files.
So, how can you use this shortcut tip?
Then find the shortcut for that; just Google, the name of the "Software + shortcut", e.g. 'Gmail shortcuts' and you, will find the list on the net.
If you want to use the Gmail shortcut, be sure to activate the functionality under 'Settings > General > Keyboard shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts on
If you want to use Gmail shortcut be sure to active the functionality under 'Settings > General > Keyboard shortcuts: Keyboard shortcuts on.
Another shortcut I use every day is the 'Spotlight Search' on my MacBook, which just with two keystrokes, command and space bar, I can open app, latest files or folders in few seconds, instead of looking at them on my computer using a mouse or trackpad.
Listen to the latest podcast here (2.56min):
And you? Are you using any shortcuts? If yes, which ones? If not, which app you will start?
Do you feel overwhelmed with technology and digital tools?
You are not alone! I feel like that too.
Let me tell you the secret; sometimes we feel overwhelmed as we want to do things quickly, know to an app work since day one and finally, we don't have the patience for it.
So, what you can do about it?
Don't try to do 'all'. Start with one app only. Learn one thing at the time
If you feel overwhelmed with technology and digital tools, just take one step at a time. Learn how to use it day by day, one hour maximum at a time.
Focus on doing one task at a time with the app or technology you want to conquer—just one thing. Then you learn that one you can do one more.
Ask around, google it.
And if you still have doubts, send me an email, I will be happy to help you.
Listen Episode 5 (2:38 minutes):
Yesterday, while on a call with one of a women networking session, we talked about productivity, tools, and tips.
So in this episode, number 4 already! I bring you three technology tools you can use to help you to be more productive.
Turn off all the notifications in your mobile and laptop/desktop computer, sound and visual notifications while working.
Keep your browser tidy and less distractive using a Chrome or Firefox extension called OneTab.
You can organise these save tabs in groups and rename the group as the project name.
Using Google Keep to keep ideas, things you need to do later, tasks that come to your mind while working. In that way, you will remember them and be out of your mind so they won't distract you 😉