For our April/May edition, we asked Michelle Joe of Craft ‘n Connect to share her favourite tools and apps for creative entrepreneurs. Today, her list of apps for creativity and productivity will be useful not only for those starting their own business but for everyone working from home in a lockdown.
When I first launched my creative writing business Craft ‘n Connect over a year ago, some people weren’t too surprised and I received a lot of support. However, I also got told I was crazy for leaving my comfortable marketing job and salary. But with plans to relocate to Tauranga after my travels, I couldn’t think of a better time to take the leap.
When starting your own business, you really need to shift your thinking and up your game in being self-driven and disciplined. Whether the tools are to improve the productivity, draw inspiration and motivation, or to improve the craft, I’ve adopted the following to help me along this creative entrepreneur journey.
PODCAST ADDICT
An app for motivation, inspiration and learnings from business coaches and other entrepreneurs to challenge and improve the ways we’re doing things. When working for yourself, it’s easy to lose direction and focus, and listening to a podcast helps kick-start the working day and always puts me in the right frame of mind.
How I Work and other inspiring podcasts for women
PLANOLY
Planoly is great for scheduling your posts in advance on Instagram and a way to get a visual preview of your feed before your new posts go live. It’s a clean, easy-to-use visual platform for your social media planning created from a designer’s and editor’s point of view.
TRELLO
I’m a big advocate for Trello and have been using this tool both professionally and personally for several years to organise my life, client projects and for team collaboration. The highly visual interface allows you to prioritise your tasks in a fun and flexible way. Users can create task cards and drag-drop them between columns of statuses: To Do, In Progress, Under Review, Done. This web-based tool can be set up so you receive notifications on-the-go. If you’re a visual person and love post-it notes, you’ll love Trello.
AIRTABLE
This is used as my bigger picture content scheduler where I plan and load content a month ahead across a range of mediums. Airtable has features of an online database but applied to a spreadsheet and it can be personalised to suit how you want to edit and label columns. I also use this platform as a timesheet to track hours and any tasks outsourced to other freelancers or contra arrangements.
CANVA
Those who aren’t graphic designers and require designs created frequently will find Canva useful for whipping
up basic designs through a drag-and- drop method. You receive access to photographs, graphics, fonts and readily created templates for web or print media use. Drastically reduces the time spent on creating various visuals!
XERO MOBILE APP
Managing your accounts is no doubt a key element to running a business and not one of my favourites. The Xero mobile app provides you with better visibility to your accounts wherever you are. We love it for claiming and tracking expenses and using the photo upload feature, so we save admin time and keep the wallet paper-less.
BRENDON BURCHARD PERFORMANCE PLANNER
I’m now going back to basics with the pen to paper method and the Performance Planner by Brendon Burchard. It’s not only used as a daily task organiser, but also a journal that helps hold yourself accountable for goals you have set. I’ve found this especially useful being my own boss. It encourages self-awareness, mindfulness and gratitude through morning mindset prompts and self- assessment scorecards. It hones in on breaking down sections in both your personal and professional life – clarity, productivity, energy, influence, necessity and courage.
Images: Alex Spodyneiko
