There are a ton of tools, books, resources, blogs, and apps available to freelancers, but finding the right ones for your business (and your budget) can be overwhelming.
After all, you shouldn’t run your business based on the tools available to you — first and foremost, you need to be a good freelancer with marketable skills, and a system in place to run your business.
Only then should you bring in tools to improve your system, speed up your workflow, and save you time.
Over the last few years, I’ve used my fair share of these tools and I have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn’t. Obviously, every business and each freelancer is different, so what I think is awesome might not work for you.
Instead of throwing a list of dozens of tools at you, I’m going to show you the 4 tools I use MOST in my freelance business, and how they can help YOU in your freelance business.
Tool #1
Dropbox
Probably the single-most important piece of software I use to run my business (other than a code editor) is Dropbox. It’s very likely that you use Dropbox already, and if that’s the case, good on ya!
If you don’t have a Dropbox account, or have never heard of Dropbox, listen up, because you’re missing out. First of all, Dropbox is totally free. There’s an option to sign up for a premium version of Dropbox, but in all honesty, you probably won’t need it.
I use Dropbox to store ALL files for every project I work on, organized by Client. Dropbox is always backing up the files, so I don’t worry about losing important info; I can access the files from anywhere on any device, which is great if you happen to be working away from your home computer; and sharing files with the client is a breeze.
Get a free Dropbox account at:
https://www.bradhussey.ca/dropbox
Tool #2
Trello
I use Trello basically 24/7. It’s my all-in-one project manager, task tracker, I manage my team, communicate with clients, track my progress and so much more.
Sign up for Trello for free at:
https://www.bradhussey.ca/usetrello
Tool #3
Quickbooks Online
I use Quickbooks to send estimates & invoices, track expenses, and keep all of my business financials in order. I added my accountant to my Quickbooks account, and when tax time comes around, she makes sure everything is organized & tracked properly, and I get to just focus on growing my business.
If Quickbooks is a bit overkill for you right now, you can always check out Ballpark, which is a solid solution for new freelancers.
Get a Quickbooks account at:
https://www.bradhussey.ca/quickbooks/
Sign up for Ballpark at:
https://www.bradhussey.ca/ballpark
Tool #4
WordPress
WordPress is free, open source, and the most popular Content Management System on the web today. All of my client websites are built with WordPress because it’s so easy to work with and the client loves it because it’s so easy for them to update and manage their own websites.
There are 2 flavours of WordPress — WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.com is a blogging platform, but it’s not customizable to the core. WordPress.org requires a bit of coding knowledge, but it’s 100% customizable, and I highly recommend this when building client websites.
Whether you want to learn to build custom WordPress websites from scratch, or you’re a Web Designer and would rather not have to Code anything, I have 2 courses on CodeCollege.ca that will help you with that.
You can get access to all of my coding courses for 30 days for $5 by simply visiting:
https://www.bradhussey.ca/tryfor5
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If you want to get a massive list with dozens of tools, apps, books and websites to help you grow your freelance business, download my free 7-step freelancing roadmap…
