Latest / Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs / 79: 3 essential tools for building your online business

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79: 3 essential tools for building your online business · Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 79, and in today's episode, I'm going to be sharing my three favourite tools that help me build my online business.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump right in and let's get started.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: With my award-winning approach to marketing and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know-how, along with actionable step-by-step strategies to help you accelerate your businesses' growth.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes, which drop every Wednesday.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: But before I do, I just want to talk to you about the Digital Creators Hub.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: This is your one-stop shop to getting started online.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: It is a treasure trove of goodies that's going to help you get started.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: There are resources that are in there, there's planning tools, there's templates.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: I've even included links to my favorite tools that have helped me to build my business.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: So if you haven't already get yourself into the digital creators hub, it's absolutely free.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: There is no cost to it.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sign up at www.pink-lemondigital.com forward slash hub because there's no better time to get started with your digital business than now.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So go and enjoy these free resources.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so back to today's episode, and I'm talking about my three favorite tools that have helped me to build my business online because tech is going to be your best friend.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: You might not like tech, but the truth is that in order to build an online business, you need to have tech because this is what's going to help you achieve your goals.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So whether it's managing your website to automating your processes, tech is going to be the backbone of your online business.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: But it doesn't have to be complicated, it doesn't have to be overwhelming.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: And the good news is that you can streamline your toolkit by just focusing on a few key tools.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to go and have 20 odd tools in your business that you're having to learn.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: A few good tools is going to be enough to help get you started and your business launched.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna sugarcoat it.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: But every hurdle that you encounter is going to bring you closer to your goals, and that's what we have to remember.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, because we are operating in a really noisy space, and the online world is incredibly noisy, we have to make sure that whatever technology and tool that we adopt it aligns with the vision that we have.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to check in with ourselves and the vision we have and our purpose to make sure that we're on track and that what we're choosing to use is going to support us on our journey.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: And if it isn't going to support you, then there's no point learning it.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: You have to almost have a very detached approach to the tools that you use in your business.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: You only spend your time learning tools that are going to make a difference.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: If they're not going to make a difference, then you don't waste your time.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: I cannot tell you how many rabbit holes I've been down having to learn new technology because it has promised the world and it hasn't delivered half of what it said.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I sit here today with a wealth of experience in this area, and I'm a tech person.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: I love learning new tools, I love getting all techie and you know, learning stuff that's going to improve and streamline things in my business.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: I love that, but there is a lot of stuff out there, and it can be really overwhelming knowing what tools to choose and how much time to spend before you then feel like you're wasting your time.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: So we have to make sure that whatever tool we adopt in our business aligns with the vision we have, it's going to move us that one step closer, and it is going to contribute to the overall efficiency and success of your business.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think when you're investing your time, your energy, and sometimes money, because there are tools out there that do require an investment, it's really important that it generates tangible results, whatever that might be.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: Whether it's a tool, a strategy, or a process, each one should be chosen with the expectation of it delivering a specific and measurable outcome.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: So before you commit to any tool, I think it's really essential to just make sure that you understand the problem that you're aiming to solve and that you're understanding the specific challenges that you're addressing because that tool that you're going to be choosing is going to need to guide you to a solution that is ultimately going to need to meet your needs, and if it doesn't, then it's just going to be a waste of time.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now, there's no doubt about it, when you find the right tools in your business, it can be an absolute game changer because it can help you to automate repetitive tasks so you've got us the efficiency there, and time saving is so important.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: We are all time poor.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you guys, but I feel like a week just goes in an instance before I know it.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm back on Friday, and I'm thinking, where has this week gone?
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: I just feel like time just passes really quickly, and I think the the busier you are.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're spinning lots of different plates and you've got your business, your family, your kids, your house, all of those hats that you're wearing, time just goes in a flash.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: So if you can save time with a tool that you're using, then that's going to improve the overall efficiency of how your business is going to run.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: You also want to be thinking about scalability as well.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: So as your business grows, you want to be using tools that can scale with you so that you're ensuring that your operations remain smooth and efficient as you take on more clients and more customers.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: So you don't really want to be investing in tools that are limited, you want to be able to almost adopt a tool at an early stage that you can then grow with.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: You also want to make sure that the tools that you're using are cost-effective.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: There are tools out there on the market that do require an initial investment, but in the long run, they need to be saving you money by streamlining what you're doing in your business and freeing up your time so ultimately you can make more money.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: So you need to make sure that whatever tool you're investing in, you're going to get a return on that investment at some point.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you can leverage the tools in your business in the right way, that's what's going to help you to not only work smarter, not only work harder because they're going to be doing the hard lifting for you, but they're going to help you to achieve your goals more effectively.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I have my own collection of tools that I use, and over the years that I've been running my business, I have tried and tested a lot of tools out there.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: I've looked at different CRM systems, I've looked at different project management tools, I've I've changed between tools.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I've changed between the platforms that I now run my courses and my products on because my my needs have changed.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: My needs have adapted over the years, and my the the requirements that I now have have changed.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: And so the tools that I now have in my business are there because they are what I need right now, and they're also tools that I can equally grow with as I scale my business.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: So the tools that we choose to spend our time learning is really important, and also when we are in the online space, we want to make sure that we can automate.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: So to a certain extent, you need to be looking at tools that are going to give you that level of automation so that at the right time you can start getting your time back.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Because after all, that is why we are building digital businesses.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, with that in mind, I want to share with you the three tools that I have in my business that I genuinely can't live without because they have made such a difference.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: The first tool is a project management tool, and this has to be my overall favourite tool, and it's called Notion.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Now I've been using Notion for the past couple of years, and I think with this tool, it really is a game changer, and I don't use that word lightly.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_00: The one thing I like to have in my business is I like everything organized and streamlined.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very processed in the way I work, so I have this creativity, but it has to go through a process, and what Notion does it allow me to have everything in one place so that I know where everything is, and I have a dashboard.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_00: The cool thing about Notion is that the pages are nested in each other, so it's a bit like a website where you have maybe your initial home page, which would be your dashboard, and then from there you can create pages, and then within those pages, you can have things like tables and checklists and word documents and things like that.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: So it takes the principles of an Excel spreadsheet and a Word document and a PowerPoint, but it means you can have them all kind of within the same platform.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: So what I do is I have a dashboard with all my different links, so all my different areas, and then I have pages that they sort of come off of that, and what it enables me to do is have different areas that I can then work in that helps me to streamline what it is I'm doing.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, I have an area that is dedicated to my marketing, and within my marketing, I have a podcast area, social media area, I have an area for the other things I do as well, and then within those specific categories, I have all my content written, and then what I do is when I create visuals, I then upload them so my visuals are always with my copy.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Now that's great because when I then bring my VA in, she's able to go and get access to everything I've created, and then she then takes it to the next level and schedules the content and does whatever she needs to do, but essentially, what it enables me to do is just have one place where I'm working on stuff, and I think for me that outweighs every other project management tool that I have used, and I like its versatility as well.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: I like the fact that I can create roadmaps and I can create databases and tables and lists and can ban boards and things like that.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I think Notion is really an accumulation of click up, trillo, Monday, it's kind of almost brought all of those elements together that you'll find in all these different project management platforms, and it's brought it all together under one platform, but you're able to build almost like a site for your business where it houses all of that important stuff.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I have an area for my operations, I have an area for my finance, I have an area for my marketing, I have an area specifically for my digital products and my launch maps and things like that, and I know exactly where everything is, and every stage I can collaborate with my VA and bring her on board.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: So it's versatility, it's flexibility is absolutely brilliant.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the best thing about this platform is that it's free, there is a paid option, but to be honest, you can more or less get away with a free option because it offers a lot for nothing.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's far better than Trello, there's more that you can do with it, and I think it's a platform that can grow with you as you grow your business as well, which is really important.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I love Notion, it is by far my favorite platform, it is a game changer when it comes to spending time in the planning stages of your digital product offers.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're looking for a project management tool, then definitely check out Notion because, as I said, it's by far my favorite tool.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: The next tool that I want to talk about is a tool that I have used previously and I have now invested in it for the long haul, and that is a platform called Member Vault.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: A while back I did a whole episode on Punjabi because when it comes to creating online courses and products, I have been a Punjabi user for probably the past three years or so.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: But alongside that, I used a platform called Member Vault because I sell digital products, and what I love about Member Vault is that I feel as though I have a lot more creative freedom with it, but also it's designed as a marketplace.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: So if somebody goes to view one of your digital products, they will instantly see what else you have to offer, and I think that kind of gives it a bit of an edge.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can do it with Kunjabi, but I really like the way Member Vault does it, it's very very powerful platform, and it's not as expensive as Kunjabi at all.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: They have some really affordable tiers that you can sign up to, and they're very generous as well in terms of how many digital products you can host on the tier.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: I think the cheapest tier at I think it's 45 dollars, which is about I don't know, 40 pounds just under.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_00: You can have 14 digital products, and that could be programmes, online courses, digital products, whatever you have got, you can house them within Member Vault.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what's great about Member Vault is that you can personalise your customer journey as well, and you can connect it to your email marketing systems or your um your your digital funnel systems, whatever you have, and it's got lots of built-in marketing tools as well.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: So Kunjabi is often positioned as the number one platform because it it it all markets itself as the one-stop shop, but I think Member Vault has a lot going for it, and what I really like about Member Vault is that it's constantly improving what it's offering to its members, and there's a really strong community built around it, it's a really powerful platform that ultimately streamlines the process of packaging and selling your digital offers online, and it doesn't break the bank, it acts as a centralized content hub and gives you lots of different things that's gonna help to elevate your efforts, and I think for that, I think it's absolutely brilliant.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: And like I say, I like the fact that I have a lot of design control.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Design is really important in my business, so it's really important that whatever platform I choose to use, I get to infuse that in the platforms that I'm using.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: And with Member Volt, I really enjoy using it, I think it's really easy to use, and it's well worth checking out.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are in the process of creating an online course, an online membership, an online program, or any digital products, then go and check out Member Volt.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so my third and final tool that I want to talk about is Flowdesk.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm relatively new to Flowdesk.
• 18:41
  SPEAKER_00: I have been aware of Flowdesk for a number of years, but I've been with Kinjabi, so I haven't used Flowdesk up until very recently.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_00: What Flowdesk is, it's an email marketing tool.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: So it's the thing that you would use to nurture your audience as you bring them into your community and as you build your email list.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now I have used many different email marketing tools in the past, and what I have found is that they can be very challenging to use.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: I've also spent the past few years using the email marketing tool that is within Punjabi, but I've never really enjoyed using it.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_00: I've never felt as though it's got a good user experience.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's important that if you're gonna adopt a tool in your business, you like using the tool.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: It has a good interface, it provides a good experience, you enjoy using it.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: And with some of these email marketing tools, I haven't overly enjoyed using them because, for whatever reason, they've they've just felt quite hard work.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, with Flowdesk, I what attracted me to this particular platform was it's very design-led, and I do think that when you're engaging with your community and with your audience, you want to present your brand in the right way.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Having used it for a period of time, I have to say that it is by far the best emailing tool that I have used.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's very intuitive, and when you go in and you upload all your subscribers, it kind of guides you through to the next step.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_00: And what I really like about it is that you can colour code people.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: What you want to be doing when it comes to email marketing is you want to be tagging your audience, you want to know at what stage did they come into your list.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are running webinars, you want to be tagging them to tell you that they attended your webinar so that if you then send any future correspondence, you know how they came into your list so you that you can communicate with them in the right way, or if you've delivered a workshop and they've come in that way, or maybe they've signed up to a free lead magnet, you want to be tagging them so you have this data available so that you can start to look at how your subscribers are interacting with the emails that you're sending out.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: So, with Flowdesk, what I think is a game changer, what is different to others, is they and allow you to do this really easily.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, yes, it all looks really pretty and everything, but but actually, it makes it a lot easier to be able to manage your audience and to have this insight into what they're interested in, almost because that is as long as you obviously set your list up in the right way, you're able to get that information.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: The other thing I really like about it is that it's really really easy to put things into your website to embed forms and to set up sales pages and landing pages and all of that stuff as well.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, I I think it's actually a really good platform.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_00: So far, I am really enjoying using it.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: The other good thing.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: About it is that where other email platforms charge you by the amount of subscribers you have, with Flowdesk, they charge you one flat fee, so it doesn't matter how much you grow, you're only gonna pay that one fee.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: And I think it's something like$38, which I think is about£30, which actually, when you compare it to the other platforms out there, is pretty affordable, and you can have thousands on your email list and not get charged any more.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think with some of these other platforms, it's on a tiered approach.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_00: So the moment you get to a thousand subscribers, you're that you then jump in price, which is which you know you want to get to a thousand, but at the same time, you don't want to pay more.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I think for that, I think Flowdesk does work really well, and then the other thing that I really like about it that I am definitely seeing the benefit from is the automated workflows because Flowdesk's automation features make it really easy to set up email sequences and automations that ultimately deliver targeted messages to your audience at the right time, and it's really easy to do this.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, we're all time poor, so whatever tools we adopt in our businesses, we want to make sure that they're saving us time.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's there is a cost investment there, but ultimately you don't want to be spending hours and hours and hours trying to figure things out.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_00: You want to basically hit the ground running, be able to do the thing that you want to do quickly, easily, and at the right time.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are in the world of email marketing and you are growing your email list, which we should all be doing because that's how we get to build our audiences and engage and communicate with them, then definitely check out Flowdesk because this is one process that you absolutely want to be able to simplify, and it's a great way to also get your offers out there, but to also build relationships with your audience as well.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: So there you have it, they're my three favorite tools.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_00: I've got Notion for Project Management, I've got Member Vault for selling my digital products, and then I've got Flow Desk that helps me to engage and nurture my audience, and all three of them save me a huge amount of time in my business, and I just really like using them.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are looking for tools, I will put these links in the show notes, go and check them out, but just remember that investing in the right tools is ultimately going to be an investment in your business's future, so it's worth taking the time to research and then taking the time to choose so that when you've made your decision, you know that they are going to support you and they're going to ultimately give you the results that you're looking to get.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: I have also added links to these tools in the digital creators hub alongside other tools that have also saved me a lot of time and make life easier.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: So sign up to the Digital Creators Hub, it's completely free.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_00: And go and grab those resources, grab those templates, and go and check out those tools because I promise you, your business is going to thank you for it.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to today's episode.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you found this episode of value, and of course, please feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to this episode.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: If you are feeling inspired and would like to know more about creating an online business and getting started online, then go and check out the digital creators hub by visiting my website www.pinkhyphenlemondigital.com forward slash hub.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: I will be back next week with another episode, but until then, have a great week.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode.
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: So why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode?
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning in today, and I will see you next time.