A thoughtfully curated collection of my
favourite tech tools and resources for running an introvert-friendly
online business that's simple and stress-free
AFFILIATE DISCLAIMER: When I love an online product, I often apply for their affiliate program. So for most of the recommendations below, I'll receive a small payment (at no extra cost to you) if you decide to sign up to a paid plan using the links on this page.
Getting your website online
If you want to build on Wordpress (best for bloggers)
A hosting provider provides the "house" for your website on the internet.
Siteground is the best I've ever used (and I've tried a few). Brilliant helpdesk. Excellent support for beginners.
Your domain name registrar is the place that you buy your website address (url) from.
Namecheap is my fave. The interface is really clean and simple, it’s easy to track your domain names and the dates they expire, and it’s always cheaper than the competitors. Winner winner!
If you're building on Wordpress, you'll need a theme to use as the base of your web design.
Divi (the flagship product sold by Elegant Themes) is a hugely popular option, particularly if you're a blogger. And once you get used to the builder, it's easy to use too..
This is a great theme choice if the focus of your website is on selling digital products and offers.
The site builder is similar to the ones used by most funnel builders (Clickfunnels, Kajabi etc), so it's a good option if you're starting out with funnels, but not ready to invest in a specialist platform.
Keen to avoid coders and DIY your own website?
I highly recommend Louise Henry's amazing course
Getting online without Wordpress
If you want an all-in-one website and funnel platform (best for selling)
It's well-known as a simple, non-techie website builder, but with its email marketing and shopify-style add-ons, Squarespace could easily be used as an all-in-one.
This is best for you if you want a clean, beautiful website that you can update yourself without paying for a web developer. Also good for bloggers.
This is the easiest, most low-stress funnel and membership site builder I've come across. It's really been designed with simplicity in mind. I also love that it has a built-in community element so you don't need to lean on Facebook groups. If you're not very techie but want to start selling fast, Kleq (which used to be called 10xPro) is for you.
This is arguably the only true all-in-one software out there. You can use it for your website, funnels, calendar, courses, membership sites, CRM and also all your email marketing. Best of all, it's female-founded and has ethical marketing and gorgeous design at its heart.
Email marketing
For connecting with your current & future fans
The best email marketing system by a million miles (imho). ActiveCampaign makes it easy to send newsletters, deliver freebies, and build automations so you don't have to be online responding every day. And best of all, it integrates with almost everything so you'll have no problem posting your signup forms all over the place. I love it. (You can probably tell)
Though it's hard to admit, ConvertKit can sometimes be a better choice than ActiveCampaign. This is the one for you if you don't have a website yet, but want to start growing your list by offering freebies from day one. ConvertKit has great landing page templates, and make it easy to collect emails even on their free plan.
If you've gone with FG Funnels as your website or funnel builder, the easiest option is to upgrade to their built-in email marketing system, called FG Mail. You can grow your list to an unlimited size while only paying for the volume of emails you actually send. Prices start at just $20/month.
Online calendar booking
Connect it to your 'real-life' calendar for conflict-free bookings
An online calendar lets clients book time with you directly, without you having to lift a finger.
Acuity integrates with your personal calendar, so you'll never have scheduling conflicts again. I find it much easier to use than Calendly, and it's super-easy set up.
Here we are again! If you've gone with FG Funnels, then you can manage your online booking calendar from right inside the app at no extra cost.
This isn't available separately, so if you didn't decide to build with FG Funnels, then Acuity Scheduling is your best bet.
Selling courses or memberships
So you can make sales even while you're napping
I really think Teachable is the easiest course platform to navigate from a student perspective, and when you get in there as a creator you'll find it's just as simple. You'll also find plenty of features on their Basic Plan that Thinkific doesn't give you until you've upgraded to a higher-priced level.
This is also an easy-to-use course platform from a creator perspective. It has a very generous free plan where you can create and sell 3 different courses without having any fees taken out of your sales. This one's a winner if you're just dipping your toes into course creation and don't need too many fancy features until later.
When I said FG Funnels is an all-in-one, I really meant it! The membership/courses side of FG Funnels looks almost exactly like Kajabi. Only they don't limit the number of products and funnels you're allowed to build on your plan. Plus their sales page design options are a squillion times better.
Managing Coaching Clients
Make life easier for yourself AND your clients
Forget trying to track client progress through a complicated system of linked spreadsheets and Google docs. Upcoach is a pleasure to use from both the client side and the coach side.
Business admin
If you have to do it (and you do), at least make it simple & streamlined
This is the easiest way to get your business email address set up (that's [email protected]). PLUS you get a bunch of free document storage and other useful bits and bobs from the Google family of online goodies.
PandaDoc lets you send out client contracts so they can sign them online and (possibly more importantly) pay your deposit. The free plan is plenty for a new coach. This is a great option if you're too new or low cashflow to invest in Honeybook or Dubsado.
Backblaze provides online backups of your computer and any external drives that want to keep safe in the cloud. It's an alternative to Time Machine if you have a Mac.
Design and creative
Make your digital products as gorgeous irl as they are in your head
Canva is pretty much essential for anyone working in the online space. Use it for designing social media graphics, website headers, workbooks, product mockups...you'll just use it for everything. The free plan is 100% fine if you're on a budget.
This is the go-to place for buying pre-made designs and templates. I've used personally it to buy fonts, elements (that I upload into Canva), and Keynote templates. Sign up to their newsletter, and you get FREE designs every single week (they're awesome).
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