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10 Resources You Must Know About …
So, here I am again with some more amazing resources for all you hungry minds out there. LoL!
Like I keep saying in some of my previous blog posts and if you follow along on my Facebook business page, there are oh so many lists available to us entrepreneurs online and I offer up the same on my resources page on my website. Along with a handful of blog posts every so many months, my most recent being a peek inside my virtual tool box, which showcases an extremely valuable list for solo-preneurs, such as myself, who offer a mixture of services within their business as well as certain platforms used for clients in which I help the begin untangling process of theirs. Quite beneficial to anyone out there who is (or has) a virtual assistant (VA).
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.
~ Albert Schweitzer
It’s always tough to decide just which resources are the best for your business and that’s why I LOVE writing these blog posts for you all. I do this to provide insight to what’s available in the categories of “the best of the best”. However, today’s blog post is a bit different. I’m going to share with you my TOP 10 most favorite resources. Some you may have read about in previous blog posts of mine and some are new to the online world and I just couldn’t resist sharing them with you today. All resources on today’s list are ones I feel EVERYONE should know about and have for their business. So, here we go …
Airtable is first on my list because it’s the newest resource I’ve been playing around with and it’s just FANTASTIC! It’s all about creating your own way. And by that, I mean it is part spreadsheet, part database and completely flexible to suite the needs of organizational levels you want for yourself, and your team, if you have one. Basically, you’re able to organize anything, with anyone, from anywhere in the world. If you’re using the desktop app, you can also download the mobile version and make edits and collaborate in real time with everything syncing across everyone’s devices. No lag! Airtable also allows you to break free of “the grid”, meaning it gives you the freedom to arrange things just the way you like them by choosing the views you want to see them in. Completely customizable and can integrate with all your other apps. BONUS! Not all applications of this type can integrate with the other tools you’re already using so why wait? Create your first database today in just minutes!
To be quite honest, I’m about to finish mine after I’m done here, sharing this information with you.
Biteable is all about making studio-quality video in a snap! And c’mon, who doesn’t love to save time by not sacrificing quality?! It’s truly as easy as picking a style by browsing through hundreds of scenes and combining them yourself or to a professional template provided in the platform. Then you add your content. You are able to use your own photos, which I love to do so bonus there, and edit them right in the platform along side your text. You’re able to tell your story by making all kinds of videos, ads, social media content, and more. And my favourite part … adding music! Biteable offers a huge library of tracks to select from to give your piece of media the impact you’re truly looking for. Or you can upload from your own collection! Their goal is truly about making a masterpiece in just minutes. I’ve fallen in love with this platform and feel you will too!
Zoom is a free video/web conferencing service. This platform provides remote conferencing services using cloud computing. Offering both meeting and webinar software. Zoom combines video conferencing, online meetings and mobile collaboration. It’s truly a consistent enterprise experience. Some of the fun features within Zoom include: online meetings, training and technical support, cross-platform messaging and file sharing as well as being able to empower your apps with video, voice and screen sharing. A must-have for those of you who work virtually.
Kartra is also a newbie to my virtual toolbox but one I’m quite impressed with. And think you will be too! For starters, the free trial, in case you’re uncertain if you need this or not yet (want will be a given once you check things out) only costs $1. Basically, this platform is an all-in-one for those of you using multiple platforms to run your business. And by all-in-one, I mean the platform gives you every essential marketing and sales tool you need to grow your business profitably – from sales pages and product cars to membership sites, help desks, affiliate management, and more. I really can’t offer any more insight to this platform, at this time, as I’m still getting my hands dirty with it but why don’t you go check it out for yourself and you’ll see WHY this platform made it to THE LIST.
Publicate.it is something new(ish) that the online world seems to be playing around with and LOVING! IT’s a simple yet powerful newsletter creator that works with any, yes that’s right I said “any” email services you’re already using. So, just as it states on its main page … no more frustrating alignment issues, ease of use in finding, cropping and aligning images, and the ability to create beautiful, empowering emails without needing to know how to code or design. Basically, a time saver is you ask me. And money in case you’re a DIY’er who is not interesting in hiring out jobs to designers or VA’s. And if you’re reading this thinking, I know I need a newsletter and haven’t yet found the time to build one but not sure where to start, then check out their article, 39 Ultimate Newsletter Ideas to get the ball rolling. It provides a great breakdown of why the need for people to sign up for yours as well as ideas for promos and things to add to your newsletter. Once again, a HUGE BONUS for those of us solo-preneurs constantly on the GO!
Zapier connect all your apps and automates your workflows which is an amazing tool for busy people, such as you and me. This application moves information between your web apps automatically, so you can focus on your most important work. All you have to do is pick a trigger that sets your ZAP into motion. The ZAP completes the actions while you solve more important business problems. It’s truly a simple, fill-in-the-blank set-up … point, click, automate helping you go from idea to workflow in just minutes! What more could you ask for.
WuFoo is an online form design that can help you create contract forms, online surveys and invitations so that you can collect the data, registrations and payments as needed. Building online forms can be tedious work and hard to do but this platform truly make building a breeze by being able to choose from 400+ customizable, professional, device-responsive templates. My favourite part about this platform is that it’s mobile responsive so you can share the forms you need on the go or embed them into your website while working on your desktop.
WooBox is a great way to create engaging and fun marketing campaigns. If you’re creating giveaways, coupons or instant wins, you can easily collect entries through forms or social networks. If you’re more into polls, quizzes and games, you can “gamify” your marketing and gain insights by creating fun, interactive experiences for your users. Or perhaps you’re looking to create some lead generation forms to distribute some awesome downloadable content, optimize landing pages and collect form data. This platform has it all. My favourite feature is the Facebook Page Apps that brings your social media together by synchronizing your marketing with their integration tabs all onto your Facebook business page. And best of all, it’s free! So, why wait? Give it a try!
Adobe Spark is truly near and dear to me design heart. It’s where you can create beautiful graphics (Spark Post), video stories (Spark Video) and web pages (Spark Page) within just minutes. As Adobe likes to say, “it’s a bit of art, a smidge of science.” If you’re looking to make a huge impact with your brand this platform makes life fun and easy but being able to choose beautiful typefaces, iconic images, use professional looking web themes and to top things off it allows you to share to social media or via email right from the platform itself. And as an added bonus your projects are automatically synced across your web or app devices, so you can work whenever and wherever inspiration strikes! So, as a designer, or a DIY solo-preneur what more can you ask for with this amazing one-stop shop meant for creating the impact you want, and need, for your business.
Dropbox is a free data sharing system that allows individuals, businesses and teams to access media without sending endless back-and-forth emails. Because files are all saved within the cloud-based software, when one-person changes or moves a file, the updated format is available in real time to everyone else working on it. Dropbox also allows users to access their files from just about anywhere with a WiFi connection, eliminating the need to be at your personal computer or laptop to get work done.
Passion, creativity, and resilience are the most crucial skills in business.
If you’ve got those, you’re ready to embark on the journey. ~ Jo Malone
I hope you found today’s resource list helpful. And of course, if you have other virtual “toolbox” resources you would like to share with me and my viewers reading this blog post, please feel free to drop them into the comments. I would love to collaborate and add them to this list!
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Crystal Kordalchuk
Crystal is an artist, a writer, an organizer, a dreamer, a doer, and down-right proud of it NERD!.
Struck with a love for #AllThings creative at a very young age, Crystal dreamed of a life fueled by her passion for creating and bringing the stories and images in her mind into reality.
As she worked toward her dreams, she earned a diploma as a Computer Applications Specialist then another in Graphic Design and from there began to develop her extensive background in multimedia and the arts. She began her worked in the magazine industry as a layout designer and had a succession of design jobs thereafter. It was her role as a graphic/web designer that gave her the first real glimpse of her future. Soon she began a side job as a freelance designer while keeping one foot in the corporate world. A spark was lit! She turned her freelance gig into a full-time business combining design work with her other passion: creating organization from virtual chaos.
Crystal is one of the most organized individuals on the planet. She is by all means a Zen master of her crafts. She excels at helping others become “untangled” and provides her clients with tools to run their businesses smoothly while she takes care of the details behind the scenes. Thus Virtually Untangled was born. A successful business where her work as a top notch creative in graphic and web — with a twist of virtual assistant — married into one amazing place where clients can come with their virtual messes and become magically untangled. Crystal can always make sense of even the most unorganized chaos and offers a virtual detox of order and peace, so her clients can get busy doing the work that they love the most.
