I’m always looking for ways to work smarter and more efficiently, and to that end I took a recent inventory of my online business “toolkit.”
Of course many of these will be obvious to you, but hopefully you discover some helpful new resources as well.
The good news? Many of these are free or at least have a free version!
And if you’re looking for the definitive guide to online resources named by top entrepreneurs, check out the full collection in my book, Work Smarter.
One important note is I didn’t start here. I’ve cobbled together this toolbox over the last 10+ years, and added expenses only as the revenue justified it.
Start scrappy, start lean, and then invest where it makes sense!
There are also a ton of great suggestions in the comments below!
Website Stuff
1. WordPress
Maybe I’m a little bit of a fanboy, but it’s pretty awesome that you can get such a robust website-building framework for FREE, and then add one of thousands of great-looking themes on top of it, also for free. (Or a relatively low cost.)
I’m in my WordPress dashboards all day long moderating comments, writing new posts, adding pages, etc.
Side Hustle Nation runs on a premium theme called GeneratePress.
If it helps, here’s a step-by-step process on how I built a great-looking site in just a few hours using WordPress.
Related: Switching WordPress Themes: My Website Redesign Process, Tools, and Goals
2. WPX Hosting
When Side Hustle Nation outgrew my cheap shared hosting plan, I moved it over to WordPress optimized hosting at WPX Hosting. I’ve now been a customer for over 10 years!
The performance, reliability, and support have been great. 100% recommend.
3. Bluehost
If you’re not quite ready for WPX, for inexpensive shared hosting, Bluehost delivers what it promises. New users can get started for as little as $1.99 a month.
I rely on Bluehost for several smaller sites and to set up “vanity” domain redirects like:
- BuyButtonsBook.com (which redirects to my book on Amazon)
- SideHustleWebsite.com (which redirects to my tutorial on how to set up a website).
You might also want to check out SiteGround as an alternative. If you’re subscribed to their email list, they send you emails with updates on performance, what can be improved, and all these other things.
Related: Check out my free video course on how to start a blog.
4. Porkbun
Lately Porkbun has been my domain registrar of choice. They’ve got great pricing and great customer support, without trying to sell you a million add-ons. (cough, GoDaddy, cough!)
5. Beaver Builder
Beaver Builder is the drag-and-drop page builder I used to create the Side Hustle Nation homepage and several other common elements throughout the site.
My favorite feature is the ability to create little call-out boxes and embed them into content using shortcode. These are great for affiliate offers, email opt-ins, or really anything you want to visually stand out from the rest of your post.
And then if the offer changes, you can update it in one place, instead of finding every mention across your site.
For example, here’s a Beaver Builder module I built to promote The Side Hustle Show, which appears on a bunch of different pages:
The award-winning Side Hustle Show is a
Top 10 Entrepreneurship podcast
with over 1,200 5-star ratings!
Listen in your favorite podcast app or directly in your browser.
There’s a free version of Beaver Builder on the WordPress plugin directory with limited functionality, but I’ve been using the paid product since 2017.
If you’re looking for another powerful alternative, Elementor is also a popular choice with its own drag-and-drop capabilities and flexibility for creating highly customizable page designs.
Marketing Tools
6. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
My email list is a critical part of the business — one that doesn’t rely on any social media or algorithms to be able to reach readers and listeners.
For this important role, I’ve trusted Kit. The company has great customer support and is very aligned with the creator economy.
Kit offers some really powerful filtering, segmentation, and automation tools, and has some interesting ways to help you build and monetize your email list.
7. LeadPages
I was hesitant to buy LeadPages because I didn’t want to commit to another monthly subscription fee, but the results have been outstanding. Within 3 months, I’d tripled the size of my email list.
I use LeadPages in a few different ways. For years, the main feature I took advantage of was their 2-step click-triggered opt-in forms.
I created episode-specific lead magnets for most Side Hustle Show episodes, and used those LeadPages forms to collect emails and to deliver the requested files.
LeadPages also makes it super easy to quickly create landing pages and thank you pages for specific offers.
8. Interact
Another way I get people on my email list is through quizzes. Interact makes it easy to build these and connect them with your email service provider.
The main quizzes I have right now are:
Interact has been a super helpful tool — hundreds of new subscribers join through these quizzes every month!
9. Group Leads
One of my best finds is the Group Leads Chrome extension. This allows me to automatically capture email addresses when people request to join the Side Hustle Nation Facebook group.
It syncs directly with ConvertKit and results in thousands of new subscribers a year.
10. Pretty Link
Pretty Link — actually Pretty Link Lite — is a free WordPress plugin that helps create easy-to-remember redirect links and affiliate links.
For instance, that Bluehost link above is a Pretty Link. I’m not entirely sure what the paid version gets you because I’ve created hundreds of links in the free version and it seems to be just fine.
It’s also handy to create “speakable” links to use on the podcast. Every time I say something like, “Visit the show notes at SideHustleNation.com/rob,” that’s a Pretty Link.
11. Lasso
Lasso is a popular website plugin that makes it easy to create attractive product displays and comparison tables, like the ones you see on sites like Wirecutter.
For example, here’s a display I created for Fundrise:
Fundrise is one of the best and largest crowdfunded real estate investment platforms, with $7B under management. The company makes institutional quality investments available to everyone, starting at just $10.
- Start with just $10
- Quarterly cash flow
- Instant diversification
- Healthy historical performance
- Lower volatility
- Liquidity
- Not as diversified as public REITs
- Limited operational track record
- Weaker upside
You can add a little call-out at the top, star-ratings, product descriptions, pros/cons, call-to-action buttons, and disclaimers.
This was another one I was hesitant to pay for, but easily pays for itself by improving affiliate clicks and conversions.
12. Teachable
I joined Teachable in 2019. The powerful learning management software is a popular choice among course creators for good reason.
I’ve found the system intuitive to use and customizable for my needs. Previously, I tried to piece together everything I’d need to host an online course on my own, including:
- Private video hosting
- A membership or customer login area
- Payment processing
- Sales pages
But older and wiser, I can see the benefit of an affordable, well-designed, all-in-one solution.
Here are the courses I’ve created so far:
13. Ahrefs
Ahrefs has long been the leading keyword research tool for anyone serious about ranking their content in Google.
It’s not cheap, but helps me:
- come up with new topic ideas
- see the approximate search volume and competitiveness of keywords
- uncover and fix technical problems on my site
An alternative is Semrush, and if you’re just starting out on WordPress, consider using their SEO plugin tool, Yoast, which offers helpful features for optimizing your content.
14. Frase
Frase is another somewhat nerdy SEO tool. I use it in a couple different ways.
First, you can input a new content idea, and it will bring up the top-ranking pages in Google for that topic, and tell you the most important things you need to mention in your article for it to have a chance of ranking.
The other way is to help you improve existing content. After you paste in your URL, it analyzes what you already have on your page and then makes recommendations on what to add/edit/remove based on the current search results.
For social media management tools, check out Buffer and Later.
Productivity Tools
15. Gmail
One inbox to rule them all.
All my email, for all my websites, filters into my main Gmail inbox. I’ve been using Gmail exclusively since 2005 and this is command central for my biz.
I’ve created a ton of different filters to route messages to certain folders (and away from the primary inbox) if I don’t need to see them right away.
For example, emails:
- from service@paypal.com go straight to a folder called “Accounting”.
- that include the subject line of one of my welcome sequence emails go straight to a folder called “Engagement Replies”. (This helps me batch-process my replies.)
- with the words “for immediate release” get automatically canned into a folder called “PR Junk”.
There are also some Gmail keyboard shortcuts that are probably worth learning to become more efficient in handling your email. The ones I use most frequently are:
- r to reply
- j and k to toggle to the previous or next email
- ctrl + enter to send
Related: Here’s a video I made on how to forward your domain email to Gmail.
16. Sanebox
When Sanebox reached out about sponsoring The Side Hustle Show, I decided to give the smart email-filtering software a try myself.
It took a little getting used to and a little bit of “teaching” it right from wrong, but the system is remarkably accurate, and has saved me from over 35,000 messages so far. That’s nuts!
Even if those took just a second or two to delete, that still adds up to some serious time.
17. Nudgemail
Nudgemail is a pay-what-you-want (including $0) email reminder system, where you can bcc 2weeks@nudgemail.com (or any other commonly-expressed timeframe), and you’ll get a follow-up message in your inbox at that time.
It’s super helpful if you need to remember to check on something in the future, like if a deposit actually hit your account, or if now just isn’t the right time to deal with a message.
For Gmail users, Boomerang offers quite similar features, letting you schedule emails, set follow-up reminders, and pause your inbox.
18. ClipX
This is a free clipboard management tool I probably use dozens of times a day without even thinking about it. It stores the last 25 things you’ve copied and lets you ctrl+shift+v to pick which one you want to paste.
At first I didn’t know why I needed this in my life but after using it for a few years I can’t go back!
(I think CopyClip is the Mac alternative.)
19. Magical
Magical is a cool Chrome extension that allows you to create custom keyboard shortcuts for commonly used phrases.
For instance, if I type “mc*” (for My Calendar), it will populate:
“My calendar is here:
https://www.meetme.so/nickloper
Grab a couple times that work for you and we’ll make it happen.”
If I type “sig*” (for Signature), it will populate:
Nick Loper
SideHustleNation.com
If I type “sss”, it will populate:
https://www.sidehustlenation.com
I have dozens of these little shortcuts set-up and they save a ton of time. Plus, you feel like a real productivity ninja when you use them.
The downside? It only works in Chrome. (There are paid tools like Text Expander that work system-wide.)
20. The 3 Question Journal
No, it’s not an app, but it’s a really affordable nightly “shut down routine.” Over the last decade in business, I found there were a few core habits that when I did them consistently, I was more effective and satisfied with my work and life.
Unfortunately my implementation of those habits wasn’t always inconsistent.
That’s why I created The 3 Question Journal to put them into one place and have a physical reminder of them on my desk.
The 3 questions are:
- What did I get done today?
- What am I grateful for?
- How will I win tomorrow?
Fast, easy, simple, and effective.
You can also get Nicaila’s Goal Getter Action Workbook for free as a way to manage yearly goals by breaking them down into manageable 12-week sprints.
Calendar Management
21. Google Calendar
My Google Calendar runs my day, and I’ve even started the habit of blocking off larger chunks of time for myself.
After all, if you don’t prioritize your day, someone else will do it for you.
22. ScheduleOnce
I use ScheduleOnce to handle all my podcast interviews and meeting requests. It syncs easily with my Google Calendar and I can pre-set times I don’t want made available.
For example, this year, Mondays and Wednesday mornings are the only days that are open for calendar bookings.
I stack up all the meetings and recordings those days, and have the rest of the week (usually) free and clear to tackle other projects. (Or to go skiing, hiking, golfing, etc.)
One-time purchase alternative: TidyCal
Another alternative is Calendly which also has a great user interface.
Graphics and Video
23. Canva
Canva is an incredibly powerful graphic design tool. And even the free version is pretty robust.
I use this to create:
- YouTube thumbnails
- Workbooks
- Custom blog graphics
- and more
It took me a while to really appreciate Canva, but now I swear by it.
If you’re willing to spend more, you can purchase Canva templates from talented designers on Etsy.
Related: How to Make Money Using Canva
24. ScreenPal
ScreenPal is a really cool free screen recording tool (an alternative to Loom).
Screencast-o-Matic will let you go up to 15 minutes for free with unlimited recordings.
I use this all the time to record:
- step-by-step tutorials for team members
- YouTube videos
- answers to listener questions
For Mac users, there is a built-in tool called QuickTime that you can use for free. It allows you to screen record, take screenshots, and control playback options.
25. Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot is a cool free Chrome browser extension that helps you capture still screenshots, crop them, and mark them up with text, circles, and arrows.
You can even capture complete scrolling websites in one screenshot.
26. Pictory
Pictory is a super cool AI-assisted video creation tool. How it works is you upload your script, and the app will create a video based on those words — pulling in dozens of stock footage clips — and adding captions.
Here’s an example of a video we made with Pictory:
It would have taken me or another editor hours to pull in all those clips, and Pictory does it in just a few minutes!
(Use discount code nshn20 to save 20% on Pictory!)
Since we’re already talking about AI, check out ElevenLabs for hyper-realistic AI voices and ChatGPT or Claude for script ideas and polishing.
27. Pexels
Pexels.com is where I source a lot of the images you see here at Side Hustle Nation.
They have beautiful images that are free to use with no attribution required.
Other tools you can to edit videos and photos are Temply and Vixer.
Team Collaboration
28. LastPass
I’m in love with LastPass, a free password management tool. We all have so many passwords to remember on a daily basis and this free tool helps me “outsource” all that mental clutter.
Plus, you can use this to securely share passwords with your virtual assistant(s).
29. Make.com
Make is an awesome resource that connects the different apps in your life.
I use it to automate various processes in the business.
For instance:
- If a new student joins one of my courses, they’ll get added to ConvertKit
- If someone buys one of my workbooks, they’ll get their file delivery
- If the podcast editor uploads a new episode, it’ll trigger a message to my show notes writer
Like most software tools, there’s a learning curve to get this going, but it saves a lot of time and manual work once your “scenarios” are working.
Once you start to play around with it, you’ll start to discover other opportunities for automation!
A slightly pricier alternative is Zapier and it offers premium access to selected apps depending on your subscription plan.
30. Asana
I still use a lot of pen and paper to-do lists, but Asana has been helpful for keeping track of longer term projects and giving team members a visual dashboard of upcoming tasks.
I like how I can categorize certain tasks, create recurring monthly tasks, and assign deadlines.
Other alternative project management tools: Basecamp, Trello.
For communications, check out Slack.
31. OkayRelax
OkayRelax is an affordable virtual assistant service I find myself using several times a week.
My dedicated assistant:
- helps run reports
- installs lead magnets
- researches companies
- formats blog posts
- sends welcome messages
- and more
It’s taken a while to build up these processes and the trust to give access to all the necessary sites, but this service and my assistants have been a huge help.
32. Zen WP
Zen WP is my on-call “website insurance” service. This WordPress maintenance and support company was instrumental during my last redesign, but it’s helpful to have a go-to virtual IT Department for any issues that come up.
Use coupon code VAATENOFF for 10% off any support plan for life!
33. Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile is my affordable wireless carrier. I’ve been a customer since 2019.
34. Google Drive
I was a latecomer to Google Drive (I used Dropbox before) but now use it every day to build out podcast show outlines, collect survey responses, and share files between team members.
Podcasting
The Side Hustle Show is my main focus these days, and I often get questions about the equipment and software I used to start the show.
35. Riverside
I use the Riverside browser-based recording tool to record the audio and video for The Side Hustle Show.
It delivers great sound quality and I haven’t had any dealbreaker issues with it.
36. Audacity
I record my raw audio into Audacity, a free audio-editing tool, and use the software to make any last-minute changes to the episodes before they air.
37. Descript
The first time you use Descript, you’ll think it’s magic! It transcribes your audio or video recordings, and then lets you cut sections of the video by simply deleting the text.
Incredible.
Another cool feature? If you mess up a line or need to add something after the fact, you don’t have to re-record. After it learns your voice, Descript can create an AI-powered “overdub” of you “saying” the missing words.
We use this to create the video versions of the podcast along with other YouTube content.
Related: AI Side Hustles: How to Make Money with AI Tools
38. Podcast Fast Track
I’ve been working with Podcast Fast Track to edit The Side Hustle Show since early 2016. This has definitely been a time saver and a worthwhile investment for the sake of all your earbuds!
Check out this article for more on my podcast production process.
If you’ve been wanting to start a podcast for a while now but don’t know anything about music and sound design, you can also check out Podshaper by Chris Mann.
39. Megaphone
Megaphone is my podcasting “media host.”
The Spotify-owned platform helps you syndicate your podcast to every podcast app on the planet. On top of that, you can use their dynamic ad insertion technology to monetize your show.
For an alternative podcast hosting platform: Acast
Money
40. Kick
Even though I’m the weird person who actually likes bookkeeping, it was becoming a multiple-times-a-day distraction and a less-than-optimal use of time.
Kick syncs with all your accounts to get the bookkeeping off your plate.
It’s got a slick, modern interface where you can log in, see transactions in real-time, and get an up-to-date snapshot of the financial health of your business.
Transactions are automatically categorized, but if something goes into the wrong category, you can easily update it from a drop-down menu and “train” the system for next time.
And since we’re already talking about personal finance, I’m a big fan of Monarch—it’s a customizable dashboard for tracking net worth, income, expenses, etc. that gives me a quick snapshot of my finances.
41. Affluent
Affluent is a cool resource that aggregates your affiliate earnings from a bunch of different networks. I found myself spending a lot of time running reports from a dozen different networks, but this service brings them all into one place.
My only beef is that it doesn’t cover 100% of my affiliate relationships, but is still a time saver. I like their daily digest emails that say how much I earned yesterday!
Your Turn
Anything I missed? What side hustle tools would you add?
Which of these are your favorites?
Project Management
– http://www.trello.com
– http://www.asana.com
Note Taking / Business Card Scanning / and more!
– http://www.evernote.com
Book Keeping
– http://www.waveapps.com
Website Analytics
– http://www.google.com/analytics/
– http://www.google.com/webmasters/
Good stuff — thanks Shea!
Can I make a confession? I’ve never used Evernote. gasp!
We’ll get you onto Evernote before too long.
Oh my! I use it on a daily basis. It’s great for being able to update your notes while mobile and while in front of you main workstation. Recently, I’ve starting sharing notes too. Just another way to collaborate and stay synced up!
Evernote & Asana bigtime! I also really love Dollar Photo Club for great pics (it’s cheaper than the big ones).
I’ve debated LastPass it just seems scary putting all the passwords in one basket. You know?
I’m super interested in the treadmill desk thing. Just bought your book. Will have to do it when we get back to the states. Great list Nick – thanks!
Evernote is awesome but not a fan of the recent upgrade. The free version restricts access to notes while offline.
Nick,
This is perhaps one of your most useful e-mails.
I am using several of these, but haven’t heard of many of them.
I am in the early stages of starting to learn how to start and run a side hustle (maybe more of a side piddle), and your podcast is full of helpful info.
I’d really appreciate links to your favorite: how to build your first website for non-developers, how to maximize SEO for beginners, how to build e-mail lists for folks who don’t have much content yet, how to generate additional content in the early days, etc.
Keep it up!
Mike
Excellent reveal. I get a kick out of learning how people work, where they work, and what they use to make the most of the work they care about.
Nozbe: https://www.nozbe.com
—-
I am the most forgetful person on the planet. Nozbe has probably literally saved my marriage before my forgetfulness became a real issue.
Tasked (Android): https://bit.ly/1ELIljm
—-
Tasked made my phone legit smart. Auto-location based WiFi/lock screen? Check. Turn my data off when my screen is off to save battery? Check. Oh wait! I’m streaming music, turn data back on automagically! Check.
Cloud9: https://www.c9.io
—-
For (web) developers. Pre-setup Python/Django, Ruby, Php, etc development environments in the cloud, with a free account. No more need to be frustrated just trying to get your computer setup to code. Just write awesome things, from anywhere.
Reaper: https://reaper.FM
—-
I’m a professional audio engineer. Screw Audacity and Pro Tools, use this. Hugley full featured audio editing suite for $60. You could technically forever use it for free if you didn’t mind the nag screen. I’ve mixed multiple films, podcasts, and DVD box sets with it – never using anything else.
Cool, thanks for sharing Adam. A couple people have now mentioned Nozbe to me so I’ll have to check it out!
Hi, Adam C,
Are you recommending Reaper? I’m about to get into the audiobook business and need a program that does punch and roll.
Recommendations?
V
Host files: http://www.filedropper.com
Image editing: http://www.szoter.com
I have to second:
https://www.waveapps.com
Better than quickbooks and free. Pretty awesome for creating invoices, keeping track of customers, etc.
Nick please for the love of graphic designers don’t use powerpoint. Go use poor man’s photoshop:
https://www.gimp.org/
Patrick
lol I tried Gimp a few years ago but couldn’t figure it out… Never heard of WaveApps — will check them out because accounting makes head hurt sometimes!
Nick, you have never used Evernote?? It is by far the most important tool I use — so important, I created a whole course on it. :)
This is a great list – thanks for taking the time to put it together. Many great ideas here, and I will be integrating some of them ASAP.
Thanks Kent. Reg. Evernote I know I’m way behind the times! I think it hit me when my mother in law was pulling up recipes in Evernote on her iPad like a boss :)
Awesome post Nick! Some useful apps there, most I already knew or use, but also some new ones! Helpful to see them all together here.
On an unrelated note, I noticed that your affiliate Pretty Link to Bluehost does not have a no-follow tag. Google doesn’t like that, as all your commercial/affiliate links should be nofollow, to prevent PageRank from flowing through them. The guys over at Authority Hacker even recommend making your affiliate link redirects in a separate folder (like sidehustlenation.com/recommends/bluehost) and then block the entire folder /recommends from Google by using robots.txt. Just to make sure Google doesn’t follow these affiliate links.
I think you can get into some serious problems with Google if you don’t nofollow your affiliate links. But I’m not an expert so I may be missing something here. Would love to hear your thoughts!
Oh weird, I have the “nofollow” box checked for that link but I suppose I can hard-code it in as well. Thanks for the heads-up!
No problem Nick! I want to create an authority site this year myself and am learning a lot now from how others do things and use affiliate links etc. so just happened to see it.
Love this list. It gives me a pick into your brain. I’m definitely picking up what you’re putting down… :)
Piktochart (https://piktochart.com/)
Found this jewel for creating infographics a couple weeks ago and it’s horribly addicting!
I threw together an infographic of our upcoming vacation to Florida on a whim just to try it out and was blown away at how easy it is to use.
Nice! I used Piktochart for one guest post last year … well, actually Bryn made the graphic, but I told her about it. Does that count?
I’m glad I’m not the last remaining person on the planet who prefers Powerpoint to everybody’s favourite, Canva :)
Haha yes! Canva is nice but they didn’t have my font the last I checked I wanted to keep things somewhat consistent.
On the paid plan, you can upload your own fonts…but it adds to the “death by a thousand SaaS subscription cuts” thing
No, there are still a few of us out there. The graphics and aesthetics of powerpoint have advanced so much that it’s really easy to create sharp looking stuff quicker for me. I do use Canva and Picmonkey and others to help, but Powerpoint is my main workhorse. The more I use it, the more of a library I have to choose from of past work. Just simpler and quicker for me. I love that I’m not the only one :)
Fantastic stuff from everybody! Thanks to all for sharing! I have recently stumbled on Nick’s input and am implementing some of the information. On a side note, for those that could use it, I use Grasshopper to avoid giving out my cell phone to everybody. It allows a greeting, rings my phone and gives visual voice mail. I have used Grasshopper in the past and have recently setup another account for a new venture.
All the best to you all!
I know I’m a bit late to the party on this one, but had a few tools I wanted to add..
Workflowy is great for outlines (blog posts, books, courses, etc.) and quite intuitive. I pair this with WriteBox (a simple text editor) running both windows side by side to tackle most of my writing. This setup has increased my writing output and quality significantly!
For email, I have the Yesware for Gmail add-on, which allows for easy mail tracking (opens, attachment downloads, and link clicks), and also has templates – which are faster & easier to use than the standard “canned responses”.
I like these types of posts that help uncover awesome tools that may never be discovered if someone doesn’t point them out to you.
Thanks Nick!
Haha when I get an email from someone using Yesware (you can tell by mousing over their links) I’m always like dang now I have to reply because they know I read it!
Much respect to the other recommendations for Evernote, but I like Microsoft OneNote better. With your experience in PowerPoint the learning curve would be shorter (similar ribbon) and it does everything Evernote can do, including apps on all devices, free, etc. OneNote is especially helpful if you want close integration with other Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, Outlook).
1. Chrome
2. Evernote
3. MS Office
4. Dropbox and Drive
5. Spartan Multi-clip (you will love this)
6. Backblaze
7. LastPass
8. Buffer/Hootsuite
9. OneTab (awesome)
10. Thrive Leads/Content Builder
Bonus: Pixabay
Pixabay is a new fave for me too! Thanks Bill!
I’m interested in the treadmill desk. I’ll have to check out that book. :) It might help me get my exercise and still get some reading done.
Awesome list and I love that it is frugal friendly:] I would add…
Outsourcing:
Fiverr.com
I’ve gotten some excellent help here, mostly with Wordpress issues but recently got a great podcast intro!
Podcasting:
auphonic.com
Garageband
Completely new to it, but get it done with these tools and Libsyn.
Website Analysis:
similarweb.com
You mentioned Google Drive for storage and I would add that the tools within Google Drive are GOLD… docs, slides, sheets, etc. I use Boomerang to schedule gmail.
Thanks Nick!
Cool — thanks Misty! SimilarWeb IS an awesome tool. And of course love me some Fiverr as well :)
Any suggestions for free video editing software?
I use Windows Live Movie Maker that came w/ my laptop. It’s OK but somewhat limited in features and functionality. Equivalent for Mac would be iMovie, but I heard they may have stopped bundling that with the OS these days.
know I am a little late towards the get together on this one particular, but enjoyed a handful of resources I needed to include..
Workflowy is ideal for describes (blog posts, textbooks, programs, etc.) and very easy-to-use. I set this with WriteBox (an easy written text editor) operating each home windows side by side to deal with most of my creating. This setup has risen my writing output and top quality substantially!
For email, We have the Yesware for Gmail include-on, that allows for easy postal mail monitoring (opens, connection downloads, and link clicks), and has layouts – which are more quickly & much easier to use compared to standard “canned responses”. promote android app – https://app-reviews.org/android-app-reviews/. I enjoy these kinds of articles that assist reveal awesome tools that could never be discovered if someone does not stage them out to you.
Thank you Nick!
Bit weird that this comment appeared a year previously from someone else? Some kind of autobot set up?
Nick,
love the gig. Thanks!
IFTTT and/or Zapier
Absolutely great tools for automating simple tasks like scheduled social media sharing, I have been playing around with these a lot lately.
Nice! Any favorite recipes so far? I know I’m only scratching the surface of IFTTT :)
Thanks for this awesome resource Nick. I’m new to your site and content, but eating it up. Really appreciate all that you share and how you help those of us trying to get our side hustle on.
Todoist: I didn’t see Todoist mentioned anywhere but after using lots of different apps to keep track of To Do items, I’ve found this one to be my favorite. Really easy to use, whether on my laptop or phone and easy to schedule, sort and track.
Zoho: Also, with the relaunch of my website and trying to use my new email I ended up finding Zoho Mail (and the Zoho suite of products). Really nice interface, great tutorials and really impressed with how it all works and looks. Not sure if anyone else has tried Zoho, but worth a look (similar to Google suite of apps).
Great additions, thanks Shawn. I’ve heard good things about Todoist :)
Hi Nick,
I have a doubt since long time, that what should be the tools used by stars like you !! I think there are some more secret tools which you have not listed above. Any way this is a useful information, i cleared my doubt. Hoping that you will share those secret tools. Thank you.
So many good tools Nick. Thanks for the value offered.
You bet – thanks Angelo!
Did anyone mention using Calendly? I like it a lot as a scheduling tool that syncs well with several calendars including Google.
What has helped the most in getting things done is the inbox zero method pf Marlin Mann: https://maketime.eu/inbox-zero
EEEK, I’m not a geek!! Just a newbie trying to get a handle on how to get started. How to set priorities?? Should I switch from Outlook to Gmail? Do I learn GoogleDocs/Calendar or continue with my iPhone app? Geek is Greek to me! :)
Thanks for these great resources and tools. I have added the gmail auto text and know it will save me tons of time and avoid typos.
Great list of tools Nick. I really like nudgemail. I have been using Adobe Spark to create Flyers, Cards & Social Media posts. https://spark.adobe.com. I also really like Workflow for iOS https://workflow.is/. It’s a user-friendly IFFT recipe app.
Thanks Mike!
If you’re interested in text expansion like Auto Text Expander, PhraseExpress (that Nick mentioned) is awesome — but also look into AutoHotkey, which is free. AutoHotkey is harder to use, but can be installed without administrative access on Windows (which is super-useful) if you need to expand text at your day job (https://www.thenickmay.com/articles/how-to-install-autohotkey-without-admin/).
I use AutoHotkey daily to expand text, write e-mails faster, and do more advanced techniques like launching a program or website at the touch of a key — for the stuff you use every day, it’s amazingly fast.
Affiliate marketing allows anyone to bounce back over time financially if they’re patient in building their web based business from scratch, while retaining a long-term vision of where they desire their online business to be. Thank you Nick for keeping us inspired to go the extra mile with the “side hustle.” :-)
Hi Nick,
In regards to backing up content, was hoping you’d share more why you chose Backblaze or say for example iDrive?
Just want to say this is one of your key posts that I’ve continued to come back to and apply…should say one among many!! :)
Cheers,
William
Thanks William! Reg. Backblaze, there was an appsumo deal a few years ago, and didn’t research it any further. I’d had a hard drive failure a couple months before so it was the right message at the right time.
My Top 10 Online Tools
1.Mac-book Pro
2.Meetings: Skype
3.Homepage: Startpage
4.Write Check: Grammarly
5.Presentations: Google Slides
6.Music: Google Play-Just 2$/month
7.Files: Box-Secured-10GB
8.FontCheck: WhatFont-chrome plugin
9.Honey: Online Coupons-chrome plugin
10.Canva: Online Designs & Stuff
If you like my tools: Follow me on my blog https://magnusfido.com/
[PS] I’m not a spammer.I’m a Bot.!
I like it — thanks Nithin!
I have to admit that getting rich slowly is teaching me humility and patience. If a person loves doing what they do, the money will automatically follow.
Great list of resources. You mention Leadpages in this list. I have looked at Leadpages before but never wanted to pay the fee. Why would you use Leadpages when you can use Wordpress tools such as Thrive Leads? It creates beautiful landing pages right on your domain and even has the ability to add the 2 step opt-in forms that open when you click a link or button as you show as an example above. Just curious as to your thoughts on this.
From what I can tell, Thrive Themes / Thrive Leads / Thrive Content Builder are excellent alternatives at a much better price point. Unfortunately they weren’t as robust 3.5 years ago when I was shopping and LeadPages has their tentacles wrapped around me pretty tight now! :)
Yes, I understand. I love Thrive Leads and the new Thrive Architect. They really are great tools to build an email list at a much better price since they are a one time fee. Great site by the way.
Hey Nick,
Wow, this is a tremendous list of resources. Finding out about Screencast-o-Matic is so amazing! I have used Jing for years but always hated the limits. I had never heard of Screencast-o-Matic so I am going to try that today. I also tried the Awesome Screenshot you mentioned. What a great tool. Thanks for taking the time to post.
Alexis
I love Awesome Screenshot and use it all the time.
For a file drop box I’ve been quite happy with FilesAnywhere (both free for my side hustle and paid in my main hustle)
I use the free version of Hootsuite to schedule all my Tweets. I love being able to look at my selected lists and mentions right next to the full firehose of tweets coming in.
I just (after reading the above) installed Streak and am very excited at the idea of being able to schedule when I send out emails.
AND (after reading the comments) I’m about to check out Autohotkey.
Bottom line, this list is an invaluable resource. Thanks so much for providing it!
Following Bill’s lead My Top 10!
1-Gsuite Gmail-Professional email (Plug ins-MixMax, Wisestamp)
2-Collaboration-GDrive & Dropbox: Sharing files and computer syncing.
3-Evernote-Ramdom running notes/reference files/Website links.
4-1Password-Manage/sync passwords on my 4 devices (2 Mac laptops, iPad, iPhone)
5-Online-IXWebHosting, Wordpress, Smugmug
6-Contacts-Full Contact, Contactually
7-Financial-Quickbooks Online
8-Calendar-Gcal, Calendly, Youcanbookme, Zoom
9-Project Management-Trello
10-Web Browsing-Chrome (top plug ins…Toby, 1password, Pocket, Evernote, Print Friendly)
Bonus: Pen and paper too! I carry this note card holder (https://www.tonyperottiusa.com/tony-perotti-italian-bull-leather-express-pocket-memo-pad-writing-jotter/) and a pen with me at all times to take notes of conversations and items to not forget. Love disconnecting from having to use my phone for everything. Always get great compliments about it too.
Hey Nick,
Just wondering how many services do you know out of sheer curiosity that does automated free pins to Pinterest? What services does that do you know?
Wave for accounting and Google Keep for to do lists and saving ideas in one place. Quick and easy.
Thanks for the tip on the video speed controller.
I have gone to just using a Chromebook for all my computing needs so I’m always on the lookup for useful extensions.
Great blog by the way!
Hat tip to Wondershare Filmora for video editing.
Finding a good editor that is affordable and not subscription based was tough. I tried a lot and found Filmora to be very smooth, capable and affordable.
Selling things online can be alot of fun if anyone puts their mind to it. It really has to be something a person wants to do, as many people think selling things online will make them rich quickly. Online selling is a patient process anyone can prosper in if they focus and most importantly, build deep personal relationships with their target audience in longevity. I always tell people that the best way to sell is not trying to sell, and have an off-topic conversation. This way, you humanize everything and seem less “salesish.” Am I right my friend? :-)
bananatag chrome app – let’s you know when emails have been opened and links within those email have been clieked.
Thanks Nick.
Question: Was there a quick click-n-post method to publish your tools article to your LinkedIn page, or did you just Create Article at LinkedIn and paste it? Just curious.
Thx.
Yeah the ones I syndicate over there are just copied and pasted, then have to do a little formatting.
OneNote. Great free productivity notetaking tool. Way more that can be done than Evernote. Images are searchable. Did I mention that it was free?
Another Mac alternative for #6 is called Alfred. It does a lot more than multiple clipboard items, and is actually incredibly powerful if you make use of it’s other tools. But most of the time I’m using it for that multiple clipboard copy-paste functionality.
I tried Evernote for a few months and found it total overkill for my needs and bloatware on my older computer, so I went back to the free version of TreePad Lite with lightning fast response times and easy sorting and organizing features. The only drawback for some is it’s text only, but since it creates instant hyperlinks I work around that.
SnagIt is awesome for screenshots, editing for illustrations
It was nice to see some of the things you use to run your business. I use some of these things but as i grow i will start to use some of the others
YouMail!
Block the robocalls and spam from your cell phone while you run the hustle, and get a virtual number for it too!
Thank Nick for this list. I was searching for the tools for side hustle and found this great list. Amazing one.
Thought there are certain tools that I’m using and would like to add,
1. Plutio: Tool to manage entire Side hustle business
2. PromoRepublic: Social media management tool.
3. Crello: To Design images
4. Diybookcovers: To design ebook cover in 3D format
Apart from this, I tried to list down more side hustle resources on my website. Do check it out here growthfunda.com/resources/