41 Side Hustle Tools, Apps, and Resources I Use to Run My Online Business


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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!

Email Tools

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Desktop Productivity

4. 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.)

5. Text Expander

Text Expander is a cool tool 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.

Free Alternative: Auto Text Expander is a free Chrome browser extension, but naturally, works only in Chrome.

Marketing Tools

6. ActiveCampaign

After shopping a few different email marketing services, including Drip and ConvertKit, I made the switch to ActiveCampaign.

activecampaign homepage

I was with AWeber for years, and have nothing but love for the service and team there, but was looking for something a little more robust.

ActiveCampaign offers some really powerful filtering, segmentation, and automation tools, and actually costs less each month than what I was paying for AWeber.

Click here to read my full ActiveCampaign review.

One thing that’s been most exciting is being able to send new subscribers down specific welcome paths based on what they opted in for, and I’ve seen a huge lift in the engagement rate on those campaigns as a result.

(Previously everyone got the same one-size-fits-all autoresponder sequence, whether they opted in for info related to freelancing, or blogging, or e-commerce. Not the greatest user experience!)

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.

leadpages homepage

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. I’ve also played around with their text-message opt-in service, but the results weren’t amazing.

Still, LeadPages is an essential tool for me.

8. 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.

beaver builder homepage

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:

side hustle show cover art

The award-winning Side Hustle Show is a
Top 10 Entrepreneurship podcast
with over 1,200 5-star ratings!

5-star rating

Listen in your favorite podcast app or directly in your browser.

listen on spotify
listen on overcast listen on podbean

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.

Calendar Management

9. 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.

10. ScheduleOnce

I use the $5 per month version of ScheduleOnce to handle all my podcast interviews, coaching appointments, and other clients meetings. It syncs easily with my Google Calendar and I can pre-set times I don’t want made available.

For example, this year, Tuesdays are the only days that are open for calendar bookings. I stack up all the meetings and recordings that day, and have the rest of the week (usually) free and clear to tackle other projects.

One-time purchase alternative: TidyCal

Website Stuff

11. 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.

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

12. WPX Hosting

When Side Hustle Nation outgrew my cheap shared hosting plan, I moved it over to WordPress optimized hosting at WPX Hosting.

wpx hosting

The performance and support has been great over there, and traffic is 10x what it was when I switched (and the price has stayed the same).

13. Bluehost

For cheap shared hosting, Bluehost delivers what it promises. New users can get started for as little as $2.95 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) or SideHustleWebsite.com (which redirects to my tutorial on how to set up a website).

bluehost side hustle nation offer

Related: Check out my free video course on how to start a blog.

14. 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 also is 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.

15. Teachable

I joined Teachable in 2019. The powerful learning management software is a popular choice among course creators for good reason.

teachable homepage

I’ve found the system intuitive to use and customizable for my needs. Previously I would have 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. I have a couple courses created so far, and may add to the catalog in the future.

16. 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!

Graphics and Video

17. 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.

18. Canva

Canva is an incredibly powerful graphic design tool. And even the free version is pretty robust.

canva homepage

I use this to create:

It took me a while to really appreciate Canva, but now I swear by it.

Related: How to Make Money Using Canva

19. PhotoScape

PhotoScape is free photo-editing software. I know I’m only scratching the surface of its functionality, but I primarily use it to crop and re-size images.

20. Screencast-o-Matic

Screencast-o-Matic is a really cool free screen recording tool.

Screencast-o-Matic will let you go up to 15 minutes for free with unlimited recordings and just include a little branded watermark in the corner.

screencast-o-matic

For $15 a year you can remove those restrictions. I use this all the time to record video site reviews for people and to record step-by-step tutorials either for YouTube or for virtual assistants.

This is the tool I used to film and edit the ActiveCampaign demo video above.

21. 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.

Team Collaboration

22. 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).

23. Zapier

Zapier is an awesome resource that connects the different apps in your life.

I use it to automatically send messages between various members of my team.

For instance, if a new podcast episode is uploaded to The Side Hustle Show “Final” folder in Google Drive, Zapier will trigger an email to my writer letting him know there’s a new episode ready to summarize and create the show notes for.

I have several similar “zaps” set up and cumulatively they save a ton of time. This is a paid tool, but your first 5 zaps are free to test it out.

24. 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
  • cleans up my ActiveCampaign contacts
  • and more

okayrelax homepage

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.

25. Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile is my affordable wireless carrier. I’m on the $20/month plan which has more than enough data for me.

Just be aware that service is a little spotty in remote areas.

Social Media

26. Facebook Groups

The Side Hustle Nation Facebook group is where I spend most of my social media time these days.

It’s totally free and the discussions and connections have been great so far. Feel free to jump on in!

27. Group Leads

One of my best recent 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.

Groupleads homepage

It syncs directly with ActiveCampaign and resulted in thousands of new subscribers in just the first few months.

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.

28. Zencastr

I use the free Zencastr browser-based recording tool to record my podcast interviews. It delivers great sound quality and haven’t had any dealbreaker issues with it.

29. 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.

As with any new software, there was a bit of a learning curve to overcome, but I think it works great!

30. Otter.ai

A critical part of my podcast production process is getting a quick transcription done. For that, I use Otter. It’s fast, reasonably accurate, and affordable.

This helps me easily identify sections of the conversations to trim, or parts I want to highlight. With the full catalog transcribed, I can also more easily pull quotes for new articles, books, or future episodes.

Related: AI Side Hustles: How to Make Money with AI Tools

31. Samson Q2U

I call the Samson Q2U the 80/20 of podcast microphones. It delivers probably 80% of the sound quality of a super fancy mic at 20% of the cost.

q2u microphone

And it plugs directly into my USB port so I don’t have to worry about how to work a mixer.

Around episode 300 of The Side Hustle Show, I upgraded to a new set-up, that includes:

I’m not sure I notice any discernible difference in audio quality, but at least I feel more like a pro now.

32. 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.

33. Libsyn

Libsyn is my podcasting “media host.” For $15 a month they host all my podcast files, which is an incredible value for the reach a podcast can have.

File Sharing and Storage

34. Google Drive

I was a latecomer to Google Drive but now use it every day to build out podcast show outlines, collect survey responses, and share files between team members.

Money

35. Freshbooks

Freshbooks is a long-time sponsor of The Side Hustle Show. I first signed up to invoice a freelance writing client of mine, and now use it mostly to invoice other podcast sponsors.

36. Bench

After years of doing all my own books in Excel, I finally bit the bullet and signed up for Bench to get the bookkeeping off my plate. 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.

bench homepage

With Bench, I just connect my accounts and they do the rest. I can no longer tell you my up-to-the-minute profit and loss for the month or the year, but that probably was never really that important anyway. Should have signed up a long time ago!

37. Affluent

Affluent is a new 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, so finally bit the bullet and signed up for this service that brings them all into one place.

affluent-io

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!

Hardware

38. Dell XPS 15

Yes, I’m still a PC guy!

The first 7+ years of Side Hustle Nation were all built on a pair of Dell XPS 13 laptops. Since we’re not doing as much travel anymore, I upgraded to a slightly heavier but much more powerful XPS 15.

It’s much faster for processing big video files and made sense since 98% of the time I’m working from home.

(I ordered directly from Dell.com and got some extra cash back through Rakuten.)

39. External Monitor

For years, my primary workstation was the 13-inch laptop mentioned above, but I was missing the boat big time.

Turns out, having some extra screen real estate is a big boost to productivity and cost way less than for some reason I thought it would.

So I added this 24-inch external monitor to my set up this year and can’t go back to the tiny screen!

40. Logitech c920 HD Webcam

I use this powerful, affordable Logitech webcam to record all my “talking head” videos and video interviews.

logitech c920

It comes with its own recording software, but lately I’ve just been using it in conjunction with Screencast-o-Matic.

(An external webcam is essential for higher quality video, especially since the built-in webcam on my laptop is in bottom corner of the screen. Here’s a good look at my knuckles!)

41. The Progress Journal

No, it’s not an app, but it’s how I keep track of my daily, weekly, and monthly priorities. Over the last decade of studying productivity, I found there were 5 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.

So I created The Progress Journal to put them all into one place and have a physical reminder of them on my desk.

Old school.

Related: The 20 Best Gift Ideas for Entrepreneurs Under $100.

Your Turn

Anything I missed? What side hustle tools would you add?

Which of these are your favorites?

Like That? There's More!

Join the 100,000 Who Get My Best Stuff via Email

I'll also send you my free guide: The 5 Fastest Ways to Make More Money.

Nick Loper

About the Author

Nick Loper is a side hustle expert who loves helping people earn more money and start businesses they care about. He hosts the award-winning Side Hustle Show, where he's interviewed over 500 successful entrepreneurs, and is the bestselling author of Buy Buttons, The Side Hustle, and $1,000 100 Ways.

His work has been featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, Forbes, TIME, Newsweek, Business Insider, MSN, Yahoo Finance, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Hubspot, Ahrefs, Shopify, Investopedia, VICE, Vox, Mashable, ChooseFI, The Penny Hoarder, GoBankingRates, and more.

80 thoughts on “41 Side Hustle Tools, Apps, and Resources I Use to Run My Online Business”

      • 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!

        Reply
        • 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!

          Reply
    • 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

      Reply
  1. 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.

    Reply
  2. 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.

    Reply
  3. 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.

    Reply
  4. 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!

    Reply
  5. 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.

    Reply
    • 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 :)

      Reply
  6. 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!

    Reply
  7. 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!

    Reply
    • 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!

      Reply
  8. 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).

    Reply
  9. 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

    Reply
  10. 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!

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  11. 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!

    Reply
    • Bit weird that this comment appeared a year previously from someone else? Some kind of autobot set up?

      Nick,
      love the gig. Thanks!

      Reply
  12. 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.

    Reply
  13. 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).

    Reply
  14. 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.

    Reply
  15. 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! :)

    Reply
  16. 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.

    Reply
  17. 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.” :-)

    Reply
  18. 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

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  19. 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.!

    Reply
  20. 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.

    Reply
  21. 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.

    Reply
    • 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! :)

      Reply
  22. 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

    Reply
  23. 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!

    Reply
  24. 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.

    Reply
  25. 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?

    Reply
  26. 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!

    Reply
  27. 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.

    Reply
  28. 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? :-)

    Reply
  29. 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.

    Reply
  30. OneNote. Great free productivity notetaking tool. Way more that can be done than Evernote. Images are searchable. Did I mention that it was free?

    Reply
  31. 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.

    Reply
  32. 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.

    Reply
  33. YouMail!

    Block the robocalls and spam from your cell phone while you run the hustle, and get a virtual number for it too!

    Reply
  34. 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/

    Reply

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Usually Hustling, Occasionally Social

1percentfortheplanet
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