The Best Automation Resources for Business Owners

In this article: The best software services for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners from systems and efficiency expert, Kate Waldo Jones. These services are vital to creating your #3DayWorkweeks!

The Smarter Not Harder for Millennial Entrepreneurs© program lessons give you in-depth instructions for the HOW, WHAT, & WHY behind each software, so make sure to refer back to the individual lessons for those instructions. Join Smarter Not Harder© HERE.

_{If you don’t already have access to the programs listed, you can sign up for them below using our affiliate links to save on your subscription at no additional cost to you!}

Recommended Software, Services, & Products for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

• Inbox Zero
• Checking emails and sifting through your inbox probably takes you what feels like 1,000s of hours each week. Let's change that. 
• I used to teach a system for filing and organizing your inbox, then I found a better solution that does it all for you: Superhuman. 
• To get Superhuman - we are about to overhaul your email inbox in 30 mins! Click HERE to get 1 month free! 
• Recommended plan: $30/mo.

• The Best CRM System for Your Business: Dubsado
• Optional, but HIGHLY recommended for you if you have a coaching or service-based business.
• Allows you to easily send contracts, invoices, proposals, schedule client sessions, etc. 
• Follow this link or use the Code: ORGANIZEDINFLUENCER for 20% off your first month or 20% off a year subscription to Dubsado. 
• Recommended plan: Premiere $40/mo. 
• Automated Appointment Scheduling 
• Calendly is the scheduling tool that we use for all of the businesses under Kate Waldo + Co. It is simple, straightforward, and saves SO much time when setting up a phone call or meeting with a client or business partner. 
• We recommend using a paid account because it includes important features like SMS and Email reminders. 
• Recommended plan: Standard $10/mo.

• Creating Easy SOPs

  Use SCRIBE to record your screen & instantly create SOPs out of your recording. This is so insanely easy to use!

(Instructions in Smarter Not Harder: 3-Day Workweeks for Millennial Entrepreneurs© “Phase 03 - Your Vault of Information & Creating SOPs”)

 

Recommended plan: Free plan (for most), Pro Personal $29/mo. (if you need to record your desktop and mobile to create SOPs)

• The All-In-One Video/Audio Editor that I can't live without
• Create various types of content, all within one document with Descript.
• Descript is the easiest video editing tool I've ever used! You can highlight text to edit, delete, or copy and paste parts of the video just by highlighting the transcript text.
• Recommended plan: Pro $30/mo.

• Email Marketing Service
  • Flodesk is a great option if your business does not need extensive segmentation, tagging, and workflow features. It is also more cost-effective. GET 50% OFF YOUR FIRST YEAR.
    
    • Recommended plan: $19/mo. with this link.
• Active Campaign has all the analytics you could ever hope for plus easy ways to create automated campaigns. Use this to send your lead magnet and an automated follow-up email series.  
  • Recommended plan: $79-209/mo. based on 5,000 contacts

Additional Time-Shavers for Your Business: 

• Easily Pay Contractors
• Gusto is great because there is no monthly fee for paying contractors. You only get charged a small fee per contractor payment 1x/month, so you will only have to pay a fee for the contractor payouts you make that month. Get up to $100 Amazon gift card when you sign up for Gusto.
• Recommended plan: Simple $6/mo. Per contractor 

• Automated Easy Bookkeeping with Bench Accounting
• This bookkeeping service has made my life SO much easier. We use Bench for both of our businesses and I love the automation they have like automatically pulling your bank, PayPal, Stripe, Square, and credit card statements. It saves a ton of time, they are super responsive and helpful. Bench saves us 20+ hours per month of time!
• Use this link to get a FREE month of bookkeeping with Bench!
• Recommended plan: Essential $249/mo. 

• The Best Business Credit Card for Entrepreneurs 
• You can choose the card that gives you cash back "Blue Cash Card" or the card that gives you points "Blue Business Plus"
• This card gives you the option to access 0% APR financing for up to 12 monthly billing cycles
• Use this link to get up to 15,000 bonus points!

• Social Media Templates
• Your Social Team (individual template packs)
• Your Template Club (all-access template membership)
• Scheduling Evergreen Recycled Posts on Social Media 

• We use OneUp App because it allows you to schedule AND put posts on evergreen so they will recycle/repost themselves as often as you want.

• OneUp supports all the main social media platforms PLUS Google My Business which is HUGE if you have a location-based business. 

• Recommended plan: $12/mo. (billed annually - significant discount vs monthly)

• Create an Online Course Program with Kajabi
• Kate's Favorite Tech Tools for your office
• Kate's Favorite Business Development Books

How to Use These Tools and Software:

Right now you're probably thinking, "Ok cool... but, how in the world do I use all of these things? How do they all fit together??" That's where we shine, baby!

Kate is a systems and efficiency expert and she put every single system, template, hack, time-shaver, and 3-day-workweek-creator into one beautifully organized program: Smarter Not Harder: 3-Day Workweeks for Millennial Entrepreneurs©.

Click HERE to learn more about the program and join to create your very own 3-Day Workweeks! 

XO,

Kate

CEO, Kate Waldo + Co.