Running an online business is a great opportunity, but the sheer number of things you may need for it can be overwhelming at best. After years of successfully working and teaching in the online art world space, I’ve put together a list of my top must-have business tools. These are what I recommend to EVERY business owner!
The 6 Business Tools I Can’t Live Without
There are dozens of things I use in my daily business. I teach both in-person and online paint parties, but I also teach women how to grow a successful paint party business of their own inside Paint Party Headquarters.
I often see my mentees fall into “analysis paralysis” when it comes to making decisions on what they need for their businesses. Trust me, I’ve been there! That’s why I’m taking the guess work out and giving you a simple list of six must-have business tools. I’ve tried dozens of business tools, and these are the best of the best in my opinion!
1. Ring Light
I do a TON of videos. Between Facebook Lives, YouTube videos, and video chats with my Paint Party Headquarters friends, I find I’m on camera every single day! This is probably true for any business owner at this time, too!
I used to feel like my videos were flat and looked kind of dull and dark until I got these ring lights! They made the BIGGEST difference – seriously cannot recommend them enough. Plus, at under $90 it’s a steal!
2. Arkon
Okay, y’all! I cannot say enough good things about this phone and tablet mount! One of the hardest things about doing live videos is it’s hard to film yourself. I’m not even talking about the emotional aspect, although that’s certainly a barrier too. But, trying to film myself painting is nearly impossible – I would either miss the comments/questions people were leaving, or have a bad angle of the art so people couldn’t see!
Then I finally discovered this brilliant mount! It has a holder for your phone that gives a perfect overhead shot. Then, it also has a second mount that can hold a tablet in place where you can easily see it – no more missed comments or awkward angles!
Grab the Arkon mount here – use coupon code TEXASHEIDI for an additional 20% off!
3. StreamYard
Speaking of difficulties with Facebook Live – have you ever tried to go live on BOTH Facebook and Instagram? Or have you ever wanted to interview someone on your live and couldn’t figure out the logistics? Yup, me too.
StreamYard is an absolutely genius system that lets you easily interview guests, share your computer screen, and go live on multiple platforms. Trust me, this is a game-changer for anyone that does Facebook Lives… and yes, that should be YOU! You can check out my YouTube Interviews playlist for what using StreamYard looks like. Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re over there! 😉
Read more of my tips for doing Facebook Lives here!
Click Funnels
Selling products and creating sales pages for live or online events used to intimidate me. The tech portion alone seemed so overwhelming! Thankfully, Click Funnels makes landing pages and sales pages so, so simple. Definitely a business must-have for any online entrepreneur!
5. Kajabi
Online courses like Paint Party Headquarters are a huge part of my business! But, it took me a while to figure out the best place to house all my course material and set up my sales pages in a way I liked. Kajabi is my absolute favorite for this!!!
6. Constant Contact
Constant Contact is another genius business tool I could never live without! This workhorse does SO much – email marketing, online stores, website building, and even social media lead management.
Plus, the customer service is excellent – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to them. 😉
Other Business Tools You May Enjoy
If you are interested in teaching paint parties, your list of must-have business tools includes a whole new category – paint party supplies! How fun is that? Check out my favorite paint party supplies here.
Do you have any must-have business tools that you can’t live without? Share them in the comments below – I’d love to hear about them!
