Running a business can be stressful, especially when just starting out and you don’t know where to start. This blog will list out my top eight business tools that have revolutionized my business and allowed me to streamline my workflows and feel confident in the backend of my business so I can serve my clients 100%.
Some of these business tool recommendations are also accompanied by affiliate links to either get discounts or free trials to try different systems before committing. I do receive a commission through affiliate links but I also personally use each and every single one of these recommendations so I can personally attest to their functionality and making my life so much easier.
1. HoneyBook
This Client Relationship Software (CRM) is GOLD! You can store and organizing each client as their own project, manage contracts, online signing of contracts & invoices, track income, and so much more. It even has a “cha-Ching!” sound every time you get paid! 😂
Seriously, Honeybook makes my life so much easier with its organization and automation. You can pre-write email templates and then simply personalize before hitting send to inquiries instead of having to sit down and write entire emails every time. Honeybook even has a mobile app! I can send contracts & invoices right from my phone.
Sign up today and you can get 20% off your first year with Honeybook.
There are other CRM softwares like Dubsado & 17Hats but it’s important to find the one that best fits your business workflow!
2. Contracts
Contracts are honestly one the MOST important aspects of your business as they protect both your business and your clients. It’s incredibly important to have all of your business policies, processes, and deliverables clearly written out to set the expectations for your clients from the very beginning.
The Legal Paige and I have teamed up to bring you the contracts you NEED for your photography or creative entrepreneur business at a fraction of the cost of hiring an attorney ($500+per hour…gross).
-Need a legit Wedding or Adventure Elopement Photography contract? The Legal Paige has them!
-Looking to host a Workshop or Group Coaching program? The Legal Paige has you covered.
-Need to ensure your Website Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy are up to par?! Jump on this sale!
I think we all can agree that protecting the backend of your business is top priority. Especially in such an unpredictable world. The Legal Paige makes it EASY with customizable template contracts for your business.
Honestly? Buying The Legal Paige contracts were the best decision I made for my business and I will continue to invest in her products.
My favorite contracts that I use all the time??
– Adventure Elopement Contract
– Album Design/ Order Clause
– Non-Exclusive Image Licensing Agreement
-One-on-one Coaching Contract
And much more!
I cannot recommend Paige’s products enough! They are so easy to use and she breaks them down so anyone can understand HOW their contract is supposed to work. Simply plug in your business info and then use the contracts in your CRM (HoneyBook, Dubsado, etc) for easy digital contract signing and invoicing.
I personally met Paige at a The Heart University business conference in 2022 and she is such a genuine person and truly wants each and every business to thrive.
Yes, it’s an investment now but it will pay off ten fold in the future, giving you the confidence in your business policies and will help protect you in any legal sticky situation.
Protect your business today and buy a contract for The Legal Paige.
3. Adobe Lightroom
Now, this one may seem obvious to some photographers out there but remember, we all start from somewhere. Truth: I used PicMonkey to edit photos in middle school 😱 I know right?!
Adobe Lightroom is a powerful editing software that every photographer needs. Everything from organizing sessions & weddings, to spot removal for unwanted objects in the background to adjusting colors, contrast, warmth and finding your unique editing style.
A lot of photographers buy and work with presets which are super easy to import into Lightroom and seamlessly apply to them your images and make tweaks. It’s important to note that no preset will probably ever magically work with one click. You will have to adjust the settings to fit not only your specific style but then to match the lighting situation of that session or wedding.
Pro Tip: If you find that you keep making the same adjustments over and over when you apply a specific present, you can actually save those adjustment as a NEW preset and that way you can streamline your editing a little more instead of making those editing every single time.
4. Showit
This is my website platform I used to create THIS website you’re reading right now! I’ve used several other website platforms in the past but when I started my Showit trail I fell in LOVE with how incredibly easy it is to design and create your website.
Showit is an easy, drag and drop website builder with ZERO coding requirements. They’ll even help you migrate your blog posts from another platform into their system AND they partner with WordPress for your blog to take advantage of WordPress’ SEO power.
My specific theme is actually the Adventure Template from the Heart University but it was SO easy to change the colors and fonts to match my branding and continue to build on the foundational structure of that template.
5. Canva
Canva. Is. A. Game. Changer. For. Business.
Listen, I’ve used Adobe InDesign in the past during high school and college and I understand why graphic designers might prefer it. BUT it took SO long to learn how to even use let alone perfect to create marketing materials for business.
We, as entrepreneurs, often wear 20 different hats in our business and Canva makes it so easy to create not only social media graphics, but flyers, posters, brochures, planners, client PDF guides, VIDEOS now to even custom business merch with your logo and much more.
And they have sooo many amazing templates already free to use! 100% customizable. Upload your own logos, fonts, and brand colors to make your branding and marketing seamless. The paid version is super affordable and unlock even more amazing features like exclusive, professionally designed templates, graphics, and transparent PNG (logos for your website) just to name a few.
I use Canva every single day in my business and I LOVE it. Entrepreneurship is about working smarter not harder 🤗
Plus, the phone app editor makes it super easy to put something together quickly if needed on the go or make a quick reel cover.
If you’re interested in joining Canva for FREE to try it out and see if Canva Pro is right for you, sign up HERE for free.
6. Quickbooks Simple Start
I will be the first to admit that I am NOT great at bookkeeping and numbers and finances are not my jam. I definitely hire out taxes to my CPA (Certified Personal Accountant) but Quickbooks Simple Start is a GREAT way to organize your finances in such a way for literally anyone to understand.
I can easily go in and see my numbers for each month or for the year using reports or even projections for future finances. You can track ALL of your expenses and categorize them to also see reports of where you’re spending money throughout the year.
When it’s time for taxes, all I do is add my CPA into my system and he takes care of everything for me!
Quickbooks not only connects to your bank accounts to track expenses but you can connect it to your Honeybook account to also keep track of your income from clients. When you send an invoice to clients in Honeybook and they pay, the income is also tracked in Quickbooks.
7. Pic-Time
This is an easy way to deliver beautiful full galleries to your clients that showcases your gorgeous work and even has an online storefront so your clients can order prints with one click!
It’s SO important to deliver you galleries as a photographer in a way that easy for clients to access and download photos. You really don’t want to use Google Drive or something because it can take a LONG time and a lot of space to upload high-quality images.
Pic-Time allows clients to download both high-quality images for printing and social media versions that are smaller. Clients can heart their favorite images and share the link with family and friends.
I’ve used other gallery delivery systems and I’ve found that Pic-Time has the best options for uploading full galleries quickly (5000-900 photos) and it’s a TON of space for the level of subscription I’m at so you can house many clients’ galleries at once.
You can start with a free account if you want to try Pic-Time first but when you decide you want to upgrade your storage, you can use this code to get an extra free month: PT4W5H
8. Instagram
Social media is SUCH a powerful tool for small businesses and it’s the only tool here that’s monetarily free but it does take some time to learn how to create content that converts and building a personal brand.
Instagram is a great platform to not only showcase your photography work but also to bring your personality to the forefront of your business so that people can connect with you on a personal level. When building a personal brand, you actually want to attract YOUR people while also repelling people that wouldn’t be a good fit.
Have fun with Reels and posts to share educational and informational content that helps education your ideal clients in your industry. I share a lot of information about how to plan an elopement, choosing locations, different kinds of activities you can do and more. You want your ideal clients to not only learn from you and but feel like they know, like, and trust you so they’re more inclined to book you.
Bonus Resource: Wandering Weddings
If you’re an elopement and small wedding photographer, it can sometimes be hard to figure out where to market to couples in your area.
That’s where Wandering Weddings comes in as a vendor directory that solely focuses on providing vendor recommendations for couples who are planning adventure elopements and weddings. You can pay for your business to be listed in your state for couples to find you and there are options to be a featured vendor as well.
I’ve had people both inquire through Wandering Wedding or click on my website to then inquire through my contact form so the SEO from the backlinks alone are fantastic.
Sign up today to get 10% off your first year listing your business on Wandering Weddings.
