Building my small business has been a dream come true. I started on this journey not knowing exactly where it would take me, but I have learned a lot along the way. I often felt overwhelmed when trying to figure out how to do different things in the world of blogging, business, e-commerce, and content creation. I am so grateful to the people who have done what I want to do and shared their favorite tools and resources.
I created this resources page listing many of the tools I use and love to share with any of my readers who are on a similar journey or want to one day start their own small business online. I hope you find something here that will help you!
Please note that all content and information on this page is for informational purposes only, it is not professional advice. See full disclaimer here.
This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission from purchases made through links.
Table of Contents
Website Essentials
Website Hosting
My website is a self-hosted WordPress site. The hosting provider that I use and recommend is BigScoots. They have so many great features and benefits, and their support team is amazing. If you’re just starting out and don’t have much of a budget, Bluehost is another great option – it’s what I used in the very early days of my blog.
Website Theme
My website theme is from 17th Avenue Designs, specifically the Magnolia Theme. Their themes are really well-priced and easy to use. If you’re worried about how to set up the theme, they offer a theme installation service. They also have great support and tutorials to help you along the way.
Email Marketing
I use Mailchimp for my email marketing. It’s really easy to build landing pages and email flows, and they have a free plan for anyone with a small subscriber list.
Affiliate Marketing Tool
A huge part of my blog includes affiliate marketing. I have hundreds of affiliate links for products from various brands. I use Lasso to manage these affiliate links. Specifically, Lasso helps me create beautiful product display boxes (I used Lasso to create the product display boxes on this page). Lasso tracks the performance of my affiliate links and shows which products are out of stock or unavailable. Lasso is pricey, but with all the affiliate links throughout my website, it has been well worth the investment.
Small Business Essentials
Virtual Mailbox
Having a virtual mailbox address is really helpful for an online business. Your address is often displayed on your website, inside marketing emails, on business registration documents, etc. A virtual mailbox allows you to have some privacy by avoiding having to use your personal address. I use iPostal1. They have physical locations, so you can choose a mailbox near where you live, and you can pick up your mail or have them send it to your home.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping can be daunting, especially for new business owners. Quickbooks makes it easy to track all your income and expenses and automates some of the transaction categorization, saving a lot of time. Staying on top of bookkeeping really helps when filing taxes.
Business Email
Legal Pages
Business Insurance
In the early stages of my business, I used NEXT Insurance. They are dedicated to small businesses, and it is really easy to get started. Unfortunately, my business evolved to a point where they couldn’t cover my specific needs. However, I definitely recommend you check it out and see if it will work for you. If you aren’t sure, their support team can help you determine if it will be a good fit.
Proofreading
E-Commerce
E-Commerce Store
Product Printing Service
Content Creation Tools
Royalty-Free Music
Design Software
Pinterest Research Tool
Graphics Library
Stock Photos
Social Media Scheduler
Pinterest Scheduler
Courses
By Sophia Lee Beginner’s Blogging Bundle
It’s the bundle of dreams, Perfecting Blogging and Perfecting Pinterest will teach you the strategies you need to know to hit the ground running. Perfecting Blogging covers tried-and-true SEO strategies, Sophia’s secrets to (quickly) creating professional blogs, and her fail-safe formula for crafting blog posts that are guaranteed to captivate your audience. Perfecting Pinterest provides in-depth insights into her proven strategies for driving website traffic from Pinterest, optimizing blog posts for Pinterest traffic, and her secret techniques for time-saving content uploads to Pinterest, and more! These courses are perfect for bloggers just starting out or any blogger who hasn’t been seeing the results they want and is ready to take off!
